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We reviewed 10 of the leading lino printing inks on Amazon, browse below!

Lino printing ink is the key component of the lino printing process, lino printing ink comes in a variety colours and styles. You can also get a few different types of ink such as oil based, water based and hybrid which is a mix of the previously mentioned inks which each have there own benefits.

Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash Relief Ink

Β£7.48 – Β£44.65

20% Off 75ml Ink Tubes!

23% Off 250ml Black Tins!

28% Off 500ml Black Tins!

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Essdee Lino Block Printing Inks

Β£5.85 – Β£20.99

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What are we looking for in lino printing inks?

One of the main qualities we look for in lino printing ink is the style of the ink, you can get the following inks:

  • Water Based
  • Oil Based
  • Hybrid Oil/Water Based

Many people start out using water based lino printing ink which is cheaper and easy to clean up with warm soapy water. Be aware water based printing inks dry out quickly in warm rooms or in the air, so can be problematic when do long print runs. You may also find that water based inks are hard to get dense prints which struggle with colour consistency/richness.

Oil based inks are great for those looking for a professional finish to their lino prints, one of the main downsides is the clean up of oil based inks. You will need chemicals to clean away any oil based inks which can create a hazard to health from the fumes created. You will find oil based block printing inks have full and rich colour and will not dry out in the air.

The last style of inks are a hybrid mix of both water based and oil based inks, brands such as Caligo and Speedball have safe wash ranges. The safe wash inks have the richness of oil based inks and can be washed away with warm soapy water, you can also rest assured they will not dry out in the air like normal water based inks. Caligo inks are highly recommended by Hickman Design and many printmaking artists.

For more details you can check out this guide to lino printing inks.

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