Welcome to the Bracken Press PRINT-workshop website

Intaglio (etching, drypoint, aquatint)

& block printing & wood engraving

(lino-prints, surface printing) & letterpress

Established 1974.

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This introductory course will introduce you to Letterpress printing with hands on experience. Working on page size of up to A4 using a mixture of wood and metal type you will learn how to create prints using a range of colours.

Wood engraving: working on small scale English Boxwood blocks using specialist burins you will learn how to cut your design into an end grain woodblock. Printing the block on 19th century printing presses you will produce a limited edition of prints.

Course dates for 2021

there will be no courses in 2024

Day 1 Letterpress

Introduction to letterpress printing

Hand setting the wood metal type

The lay of an imporove type box

Quoins & locks for the chase

Point sizes and spacing.

Registration

Colour separations

Preparing to print

Make readies & make pieces

Adjusting the press

Printing

Dissing the text.

Day 2 Wood engraving

Preparing your design

Reversing the image

Transfering image to block

Practise block cutting with burins/ gravers

Preparing to print

Make readies & make pieces

Proofing & improving

Editioning your finished wood engraving.

Damping paper prior to printing

Printing dry or damp

Setting type & wood engraving together, the principles

Care of the equipment, solvents used etc.

At the close of the day you should have achieved a printing of at least an edition of 10 prints or more, depending on your skill.

Included in the course fee:-

A comprehensive list of current suppliers of materials.

English Boxwood block

Printing inks and consumables are included in the course fee.

Hand made paper.