Lino or Linoleum flooring is a great way to ensure protection for floors while adding the aesthetic quotient to any type of interior space. As easy as it seems, the right results only come with the right choice of lino type for each project. There are various types of lino based on various parameters such as density, width, materials, hardness, etc.
Lino is a great choice for flooring across the globe as it is known for its durability and rugged nature. Other benefits include ease of installation and maintenance. Getting lino blocks ready for use is also a very easy task, as the printing process is a simple one, offers unmatched customizability, and allows the flooring to match the interior hues and colors. Various types of lino are available for you to use for your projects, but each one has its unique characteristics and specific use cases.
What supplies do you need for lino printing your project?
- A couple of linoleum pieces
- Tools for cutting lino
- Paper Ink for printing
- For rolling out ink, use a smooth surface.
- Table knife, the brayer
- Optional: An Inkjet Printer
- Optional: Drying Rack
Types of Lino adequate for your project
Single-color Lino Prints
The most convenient style of lino print is a single-color print pattern. It is pretty basic in nature and brings uniformity to the project. Its design is just cut once, and one color is used for printing. Because black stands out so dramatically against white paper, it is frequently used in many vintage-styled projects.
Before cutting, sketch your linocut design on a piece of paper or the block itself. Although you can execute it with a pencil in a sketchbook, using white chalk on black paper might be more straightforward. Remember that everything you remove will be white, and what remains will be black.
Additionally, the printed version will be backward, so you must cut it out the wrong way if this has any lettering. Alternatively, if the picture is visible, you’ll need to flip the design on the block, so it prints correctly. Aim for bold lines and type of shapes for your initial linocut. Avoid obsessing about details. Refrain from assuming that a single-color linocut will only contain outlines; consider both the negative and positive spaces. If you unintentionally cut a piece wrong, you can try to alter the design to include it, or you can try reattaching the piece with superglue or filling it in with putty.
Multi Colour Lino Prints
Reduction Linocuts are made by cutting the same type of piece twice, once for each new color in your pattern. Before moving on to the next color edition, all of the prints must be produced because once the lino is recut, additional photos cannot be made. Depending on how many colors you used, there might be little of your block uncut at the end.
As many colors as you want can be used, but the more you use, the more meticulously your planning must be. The design could be ruined by one incorrect cut or one missed cut. You’ll probably start to understand why reduction linocut is also known as suicide printing when you consider the difficulties involved in ensuring each color is appropriately registered (aligned) when you print it. However, when everything works well, the outcomes are incredibly fulfilling!
Print a few extra copies to account for mistakes because it takes practice to ensure that the colors are aligned correctly. By placing the paper carefully on the block, you may accomplish it by eye. Making a registration sheet with outlines for the writing and lino block placement is more accurate. After positioning the inked lino, carefully line one of the paper’s corners with your marks before lowering it gradually.
Soft-Cut Lino
The best thing about soft cut Lino is that it is super easy to carve because it is smooth, so the craving process becomes hassle-free. This soft-cut Lino is non-biodegradable and can be easily cut with the help of a scalpel. The better thing about using this soft-cut Lino is that it stretches a little, so there would be fewer chances for any deformity and defect, particularly at the margins. Pencils, red carbon paper, or permanent pencils can be used to draw them.
Traditional Lino
The backing of traditional Lino is hessian. It is biodegradable because it is made of linseed oil and wood flour, so this is environmentally friendly and durable. This will be a perfect choice if you are looking for a sustainable option.
Avoid purchasing in bulk and storing for years; it has a shelf life and is best utilized immediately because it is prepared from type natural things. This should be used as soon as possible to avoid becoming brittle and challenging to carve. Although cutting new is not particularly difficult, it does require sharp tools and is slightly more complicated than cutting most vinyl blocks.
Sharp edges can be produced by snapping cut sections off. One may attain excellent detail and patterns from the natural Lino. Not at all stretches so that you can create better and more beautiful patterns from it. Traditional Lino can be cut with a scalpel, but complicated shapes are difficult to cut, making it unsuitable for jigsaw linocut.
Wrapping up
Lino doesn’t appear all that appealing by itself. If you put your different type of efforts into it, it looks like a rubbery piece of cardboard and smells like linseed oil. Traditional lino is available in two colors: a goldish ocher and a dismal grey known as “battleship grey.” It may be difficult to cut if it is chilly. It becomes significantly easier to cut when exposed to the sun or heated air for a period. Studies also indicate that linoleum is one of the most environmentally-friendly flooring materials.
Unsurprisingly, manufacturers of art supplies have created lino that is softer and simpler to cut. Traditional lino has a string mesh on the back, but soft-cut lino does not, so you can tell which one you have. Try a few different varieties to choose which lino you enjoy using the most. Traditional lino allows some individuals more refined control, but others prefer softer synthetic lino because it makes cutting curves easier.
