Cranfield
Shop Cranfield printing inks, made in Great Britain using traditional colour-making methods. Our Caligo Safe Wash range includes relief inks for lino and woodcut, etching inks for intaglio, and colour sets for building your palette. These oil-based inks clean up with liquid soap and cold water, making them a practical choice for home and shared print studios.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Relief Lino Printing Ink – 75ml Tube – Dairylide Yellow
Original price was: £13.50.£11.55Current price is: £11.55.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Relief Lino Printing Ink – 75ml Tube – Pale Violet
Original price was: £13.45.£11.55Current price is: £11.55.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Yellow Ochre
Original price was: £12.10.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Prussian Blue
Original price was: £12.65.£11.55Current price is: £11.55.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Relief Lino Printing Ink – 75ml Tube – Rubine Red
Original price was: £12.00.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Dairylide Yellow
Original price was: £13.25.£11.55Current price is: £11.55.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Extender
Original price was: £11.60.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Opaque White
Original price was: £11.70.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Rubine Red
Original price was: £12.40.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Phthalo Green
Original price was: £13.90.£12.60Current price is: £12.60.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Cyan Process Blue
Original price was: £12.10.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Relief Lino Printing Ink – 75ml Tube – Carbazole Violet
Original price was: £15.10.£13.65Current price is: £13.65.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Relief Lino Printing Ink – 75ml Tube – Raw Umber
Original price was: £11.70.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Relief Lino Printing Ink – 75ml Tube – Phthalo Blue
Original price was: £11.95.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Naphthol Red
Original price was: £12.55.£11.55Current price is: £11.55.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Sepia
Original price was: £12.10.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Blue Black
Original price was: £12.55.£11.55Current price is: £11.55.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Brown Black
Original price was: £12.55.£11.55Current price is: £11.55.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Relief Lino Printing Ink – 75ml Tube – Arylide Yellow
Original price was: £12.25.£10.50Current price is: £10.50.
Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash Etching Ink – 6 × 75 ml Colour Set
Original price was: £71.60.£55.00Current price is: £55.00.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Carbazole Violet
Original price was: £14.65.£12.60Current price is: £12.60.
Cranfield – Caligo – Safe Wash Etching Ink – 75ml Tube – Magenta Process Red
Original price was: £15.00.£12.60Current price is: £12.60.
About Cranfield printing inks
Cranfield combines traditional ink-making skills with formulations developed for artists. The Cranfield Group was established in 1976, while the Craine family’s colour-making heritage reaches back to the late 1920s. Today, its printmaking inks are handcrafted in Great Britain. Our selection focuses on Caligo Safe Wash, bringing oil-based printing performance together with straightforward soap-and-water cleanup.
How Cranfield makes its inks
Cranfield starts with dry pigment, which is mixed into a suitable vehicle or varnish before milling. As the mixture passes between rotating cylinders, pressure breaks apart pigment clumps and helps distribute the colour throughout the medium. This careful dispersion is an important part of producing a smooth, consistent ink.
Each batch is then compared with a master formulation. Cranfield checks properties including colour strength, opacity, drying behaviour, viscosity and tack. In practical terms, viscosity describes how freely an ink flows, while tack describes its stickiness during printing. Controlling these properties helps printmakers get consistent handling when returning to a favourite colour.
Which Caligo Safe Wash ink should I choose?
- For lino, woodcut and other relief prints: choose Caligo Safe Wash Relief Ink. It is formulated for inking the raised surface of a block, making it suitable for bold linocuts, carved textures and hand-printed cards.
- For etching and intaglio: choose Caligo Safe Wash Etching Ink. It is designed to be worked into recessed lines and textures, with the plate surface wiped before printing. This is the range to consider for etched plates, drypoint and related intaglio techniques.
Building a useful colour palette
A black ink is a useful starting point for learning how your block, paper and printing pressure work together. Add individual colours as your projects develop, or explore our printmaking ink sets for a ready-selected palette. Check each colour’s transparency and lightfastness information when planning layered work. Safe Wash Extender can increase transparency without adding white, which is helpful when you want overlapping colours to remain visible.
Using, cleaning and storing Safe Wash inks
Caligo Safe Wash inks are oil-based: the washable formulation makes cleanup easier. Drying time varies with the colour, ink-film thickness, paper and studio conditions. Give prints good airflow and allow them to dry thoroughly before stacking or packing. Try your chosen ink on a small piece of printmaking paper before starting an edition.
For cleanup, follow Cranfield’s soap before water approach: remove excess ink, work liquid soap or detergent directly into the remaining ink, then wipe away with a damp cloth or sponge using cold water. Dry tools and rollers before putting them away. Clean tube threads and replace caps firmly; keep inks away from heat and direct sunlight.