How do I start lino printing at home?

Everything you cut away prints white and the image comes out mirrored. The cutting angle that stops the block crumbling, the inking that stops patchy prints, and the kit that actually matters.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 2 hr
Read: 5 min
Safety: warning

Short answer

Draw the design on the block remembering it will print mirrored, then cut away everything you want to be white, holding the tool at a shallow angle so the walls of each cut slope outwards. Roll ink out on a flat surface until it hisses, roll it evenly onto the block, lay paper on and burnish firmly from the back.

Lino printing is one of the few crafts where a very small amount of equipment produces genuinely good results immediately, and where the main obstacle is a mental one: you are cutting the negative of the image, backwards. Get past that and the technical failures are all about cutting angle and ink quantity.

Safety

Lino cutting tools are extremely sharp and the block is hard, so the tool slips readily — and it slips forwards, towards whichever hand is holding the work. Always cut away from your body, always keep the non-cutting hand behind the blade, and always hold the block against a bench hook or a clamp rather than in your hand. Warming the block first makes it cut far more easily and reduces slipping substantially. Solvent-based inks need ventilation; water-based inks avoid that entirely.

What you'll need

A lino block, or a softer easy-cut version
A cutting tool with a V gouge and a U gouge
A bench hook or clamps
A roller and a flat inking surface — glass or an acrylic sheet
Block printing ink, water-based to start
Printing paper, and a wooden spoon or a baren

Cutting lino — tool angle, wall shape and hand safety

Step by step

Accept that the print comes out mirrored.Whatever is on the block appears reversed on the paper. It matters most for lettering, which has to be cut backwards. Drawing on tracing paper and flipping it onto the block is the standard way to handle it.
Work out what is being removed, not what is being drawn.Everything you cut away prints white; everything left standing takes ink. Shading the areas to be removed on the block with a marker before cutting makes this concrete and prevents the commonest beginner error.
Warm the block before cutting.Traditional lino is hard when cold and cuts like butter when warm. A few minutes near a radiator or under a hot water bottle makes an enormous difference to both the ease of cutting and the risk of the tool slipping.
Clamp the block or use a bench hook.A bench hook takes the thrust of the tool and means your other hand never has to be in front of the blade. This is the single safety measure that matters, because lino tools slip forwards.
Cut at a shallow angle so the walls slope outwards.Held too steeply the tool undercuts, leaving a thin overhanging lip along each side that crumbles under the roller and prints as a ragged edge. A shallow angle leaves supported shoulders that survive printing.
Cut deep enough that the roller cannot reach the floor.A shallow channel picks up ink from the roller and prints as a grey smudge in an area meant to be white. Clear broad white areas with a wide U gouge rather than leaving them shallow.
Turn the block, not your wrist.Every cut should be made pushing away from you in a comfortable direction. Rotating the block to suit the cut is safer and gives far more control than twisting your hand into an awkward angle.
Roll the ink out properly before it goes near the block.A small amount on the flat surface, rolled in several directions until it is an even velvety film and the roller hisses. Too much ink fills the cut lines; too little gives a patchy print.
Ink the block in several directions.Roll across the block from different angles rather than back and forth in one line, which leaves stripes. The surface should look evenly coated, not wet.
Lay the paper down and burnish firmly.Place the paper carefully — you cannot move it once it touches — and rub the back firmly and evenly with a baren or the back of a wooden spoon. Peel a corner to check before lifting it off completely.
Print several and pick the best.The first print is usually the worst, because the block is still absorbing ink. Print half a dozen. Consistency comes from the second or third onwards, which is why editions are printed in a run.

Tips

Softcut and rubber-style blocks are much easier to carve, need no warming and are far more forgiving for a first attempt. Traditional lino holds finer detail and gives crisper edges.
Water-based block printing inks wash out with water, need no ventilation and are the right choice at home. Oil-based inks print richer and need solvent to clean up.
A registration jig — two strips of card taped at right angles to position both block and paper — makes multi-colour printing and repeat printing far easier for almost no cost.

Common mistakes

Holding the block in one hand while cutting with the other — The tool slips forwards and the hand holding the block is directly in its path. This is how almost every lino cutting injury happens, and a bench hook prevents all of them.
Cutting too steeply — It undercuts the design, leaving unsupported overhangs that crumble under the roller. The damage appears in the print as ragged black edges and gets worse with every impression.
Using too much ink — It fills the fine cut lines, spreads under pressure and gives a flat blotchy print with no detail. A thin even film that makes the roller hiss is what you want.
Cutting lettering the right way round — It prints mirrored and unreadable. Everything on a printing block is reversed, and text is where it is unforgiving.

If it doesn't work

Ragged black edges around the design

Cause: Undercut walls crumbling — Fix: Cut at a shallower angle. Clean up the damaged edges with a fresh cut, and expect the block to degrade further with each print.

Grey smudging in areas meant to be white

Cause: Cuts too shallow, so the roller reaches the floor — Fix: Deepen those areas with a wide U gouge and clear them properly.

Patchy, faint print

Cause: Too little ink, uneven inking, or not enough burnishing pressure — Fix: Roll more ink out, ink from several directions, and burnish more firmly and systematically over the whole area.

The image is backwards

Cause: Cut the right way round rather than mirrored — Fix: Nothing to be done with that block. Trace the design, flip the tracing, and transfer it onto the block next time.

The tool keeps slipping

Cause: Cold hard block, blunt tool, or cutting towards yourself — Fix: Warm the block, sharpen or replace the blade, and use a bench hook. All three make a large difference.

Questions people ask

Do I need a press?

No. Hand burnishing with a baren or the back of a wooden spoon gives excellent results, and it is how most home printmakers work. A press gives more consistent pressure over large blocks.

What paper works best?

A smooth, fairly thin paper takes the impression best under hand burnishing — thin printmaking papers and even good cartridge paper work well. Heavily textured paper needs a press to push it into the ink.

How many prints will a block give?

Traditional lino gives a very large number of prints if the cuts are not undercut. Softer rubber blocks wear faster, especially in fine detail. Undercutting is what limits the life of a block more than the material.