Lino Printing Process: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

A great video on the lino printing process by EHollingsheadArt

How to Lino Print: The Process from Start to Finish

Let’s get printing! Follow these steps for a successful first print. For those who want to dive deeper, each step includes a link to a more detailed guide.

1. Gather Your Materials

Start by collecting all the necessary materials for lino printing. Having everything within reach makes the process much smoother. If you’re unsure what materials are essential, check out our complete material guide for lino printing.

Next, let’s prepare your workspace to ensure everything is set up correctly.

2. Prepare Your Workspace

With your materials ready, ensure your workspace is clean, well-lit, and protected with a covering.

• Protect Your Surface: Lay down newspaper or a plastic sheet.
• Good Lighting: A well-lit space is crucial for carving safely.
• Safety First: Always carve away from your body and keep your fingers behind the cutting tool.

For more tips, refer to our guide on preparing your workspace or studio.

Once your workspace is ready, it’s time to focus on your design.

3. Design Your Linocut

Now that your workspace is prepared, begin sketching your design on paper.

• Keep it Simple: For your first print, choose a simple design with bold shapes and lines.
• Remember the Mirror Image: Your printed image will be a mirror image of your carved block.
• Positive and Negative Space: Think about what you will carve away (negative space) and what you will leave (positive space).

If you need help, check out our guide to designing your lino print or our guide for lino print ideas for beginners.

After you have your design ready, it’s time to transfer it onto the linoleum block.

4. Transfer Your Design

With your design complete, the next step is transferring it onto your linoleum block. Place carbon paper on the lino, place your drawing on top, and trace over the lines with a pencil. For a detailed walkthrough, see our guide on transferring your design onto your block.

Once your design is on the block, let’s move on to carving.

5. Carve the Lino Block

Using your lino cutting tools, carefully carve out the negative space of your design.

• Start with the Outlines: Use a V-shaped gouge for fine lines.
• Clear Away Larger Areas: Use a U-shaped gouge for larger sections.
• Take Your Time: Carving is a slow, meditative process. Don’t rush it!

Our how to carve your linoleum blocks guide offers more detailed techniques.

With the carving done, let’s get ready for inking.

6. Ink the Block

After carving, it’s time to apply ink.

• Squeeze Out Ink: A pea-sized amount is a good start.
• Roll Out the Ink: Use your brayer to roll the ink into a thin, even layer on your glass sheet. You’re looking for a velvety texture.
• Ink the Block: Roll the inked brayer evenly across the raised surfaces of your block.

For more detailed techniques, read our guide on inking your block. If you’re interested in printing in multiple colours, explore our masking technique for multi-colour printing.

Once your block is inked, it’s time to print your design.

7. Print Your Design

This is the moment of truth!

• Position Your Paper: Carefully place the paper onto your inked block.
• Apply Pressure: Use a baren or the back of a spoon to apply firm, even pressure in circular motions across the entire back of the paper.
• The Reveal: Gently peel the paper back from one corner to reveal your print!

For more details, check out our guide on printing your linocut.

Once your print is done, let’s move on to drying and cleaning up.

8. Dry and Clean Up

• Drying: Place your print somewhere safe to dry. Depending on the ink and paper, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
• Cleaning: Clean your tools and inking plate immediately with warm, soapy water (if you’re using water-soluble inks).

Follow our lino print cleaning guide to ensure everything is ready for future projects.

Troubleshooting Common Linoleum Printing Problems

• Patchy or Faint Prints: You may not be using enough ink or applying enough pressure.
• Smudged Prints: You may be using too much ink, or the paper may have slipped during printing.
• Ink in the Carved Areas: You are likely using too much ink. Roll out a thinner layer on your plate.

If your linoleum prints are coming out smudged, faint, or marked where they shouldn’t be, don’t worry! Head over to our short Lino Printing Troubleshooting Guide for easy fixes to the most common issues. With a few adjustments, you’ll be back to pulling crisp, beautiful prints in no time.

Designing and cutting linocut

Finding Inspiration: Designing for Linocut

Staring at a blank lino block can be intimidating. The key to a great print is a strong design that works with the medium, not against it.

• Look for Strong Shapes: Lino printing excels at bold, graphic images. Look for inspiration in nature (leaves, flowers, animals), architecture (windows, doors, patterns), or even everyday objects.
• Simplify Your Subject: You don’t need to capture every single detail. Learn to simplify complex images into their core shapes and lines. Think about what makes the subject recognizable.
• Balance Positive and Negative Space: A good design has a thoughtful balance between the areas you carve away (negative space) and the areas you leave behind to print (positive space). Sketch your ideas first and shade in the areas you plan to leave. This helps you visualize the final print.
• Embrace Texture: Use different carving tools to create textures. A V-gouge is great for fine lines, while a U-gouge can create interesting patterns and clear larger areas.

Check out our short guide for 10 ideas to help get you started with lino printing.

Beyond Paper: Printing on Other Surfaces

Once you’ve mastered printing on paper, a whole new world of projects opens up.

• Printing on Fabric (Tote Bags, T-Shirts): This is a very popular next step. You will need to use fabric-specific block printing ink, which is designed to be permanent on textiles. After the ink is fully dry (check the manufacturer’s instructions), you’ll usually need to heat-set the design with an iron to make it washable.
• Making Greeting Cards & Stationery: You can buy blank pre-folded cards or use thicker paper like cardstock. This is a wonderful way to create personalized gifts.
• Printing on Wood or Cork: You can print on smooth, unfinished wood slices or cork coasters for a rustic look. Ensure the surface is clean and dust-free before printing.

Caring For Your Lino Printing Tools

Your tools are an investment. With proper care, they can last a lifetime.

• Clean Immediately After Use: Don’t let ink dry on your brayers or carving tools. For water-soluble inks, warm soapy water and a soft cloth are all you need.
• Dry Thoroughly: Moisture is the enemy of metal tools. After washing, dry your cutter blades completely to prevent rust.
• The Importance of Sharpening: Over time, your carving tools will become dull. A dull tool is harder to use, less safe, and produces messy lines. Learning to sharpen your tools with a sharpening stone and leather strop is a key skill for any serious printmaker. It will make your carving experience much more enjoyable and your results more professional.

A Glossary of Lino Printing Terms

• Artist’s Proof (AP): A small number of prints pulled before the main edition, for the artist’s personal use.
• Baren: A disc-like tool used to apply pressure to the back of the paper to transfer the ink.
• Brayer: The hand-roller used to apply ink to the lino block.
• Edition: A set of identical prints made from the same block. They are usually numbered, for example, 1/50.
• Gouge: The cutting blade of a lino tool. They come in different shapes, like “V” and “U.”
• Negative Space: The areas of the block that are carved away and will not print (they will be the colour of the paper).
• Positive Space: The raised areas of the block that are left behind, inked, and will form the printed image.
• Registration: Any method used to align the paper and block to ensure prints are consistent, especially crucial for multi-colour printing.
• Relief Print: A print made from a raised surface where the non-printing areas have been cut away.

Lino Printing FAQ

• Is lino printing the same as block printing? Yes and no. Lino printing is a type of block printing. For more detail on the broader category, see our guide on block printing and relief printmaking methods.
• Linoleum block printing vs woodblock printing: what’s the difference? The key difference is the material, which affects the entire process and final look.
  • Material: Linoleum is a soft, flexible material with no grain. Wood is harder and has a natural grain.
  • Texture: Lino produces clean, sharp, and often bold lines. Woodblock prints can have a more rustic, textured appearance as the wood grain can become part of the print.
  • Ease of Use: Lino is much easier to carve, making it ideal for beginners. Wood requires more force, skill, and specialised (often more expensive) tools.
• Why did my print come out backward? This is the most common “mistake” for beginners! The printmaking process creates a mirror image of what you carve. The block you carve is a direct reflection of the final print. This is especially critical to remember for any designs that include text or are asymmetrical.
  • Pro Tip: To avoid this, always flip your design before you transfer it to the block. You can do this easily with tracing paper or any basic photo editing software.
• What’s the best ink for a beginner: water-based or oil-based? Both have their pros and cons, but for beginners, water-soluble oil-based inks like Cranfield Caligo are often the best of both worlds.
  • Water-Based Inks: Dry very quickly, which can be frustrating as they can dry on your inking plate while you work. However, they are affordable and clean up very easily with just water.
  • Oil-Based Inks (Water-Soluble): Give you the rich, vibrant colours and longer working time of traditional oil inks, but they clean up easily with soap and water, so you don’t need harsh chemical solvents.
• How do you make multi-colour lino prints? Reduction vs multi‑block printing.
  This is an advanced technique, but there are two primary methods. For a deep dive, check out our guide to multicolour lino printing methods.
  1. The Reduction Method: Often called the “suicide print,” you use a single block. You carve and print your first (lightest) colour, then carve away more of the same block and print the next colour on top of the first prints, and so on.
  2. The Multi-Block Method: You carve a separate block for each colour you want to print. This requires a precise registration system to make sure each block lines up perfectly when printed.
• Can you lino print at home? Absolutely! That’s one of its main appeals. You don’t need a large, expensive press or a dedicated studio to get started. A kitchen table, a few basic tools, and some creativity are all you need.
• Why is linocut sometimes criticized? Historically, some in the fine art world viewed it as less sophisticated than techniques like etching or lithography, partly because the materials are less expensive and the process is more accessible. However, this is an outdated view. Linocut is a respected and versatile medium used by famous artists like Picasso and Matisse and celebrated by contemporary artists worldwide for its bold, graphic qualities.
• Is lino printing good for GCSE or school art projects? Yes, it’s a fantastic choice for school projects. It’s often included in the curriculum because it’s accessible, relatively low-cost, and teaches core art principles like positive/negative space, composition, and mark-making.
  • Materials: Schools typically use softcut lino and water-based inks for safety and easy cleanup.
  • Tip for Students: To make your project stand out, focus on a strong, original design. Experiment with mark-making to create different textures, and don’t be afraid to try printing on different coloured or textured papers. A well-executed, thoughtful print will always impress.
• Is lino printing the same as linocut?
  • Yes. They’re two names for the same technique: carving a design into linoleum, inking the raised surface, and printing it. “Linocut” is the term you’ll see most in fine art; “lino printing” is the everyday wording.
• What is relief printing and how does linocut fit in?
  • Relief printing is any method where you print from the raised (uncarved) parts of a block. Ink sits on the surface, and the recessed areas don’t print. Linocut is one type of relief printing, alongside woodcut and wood engraving.
• Can I do block printing on fabric with linocut blocks?
  • Yes. Use a fabric-safe ink (or an ink you can heat-set with an iron, as per the manufacturer’s instructions). Pre‑wash the fabric, test on a scrap first, and place something absorbent underneath to stop bleed-through. Wash fastness will depend on the ink and how well it’s fixed.

If you want to make it even more eco-friendly, try our Sustainable Printmaking Guide.

Your Next Print Awaits: Final Thoughts and Next Steps

Congratulations on taking your first steps into the world of lino printing! By following these basic techniques and tips, you’re already well on your way to producing eye-catching linocuts from the comfort of your home. As you continue experimenting, remember that each carved block and proof print is a new learning opportunity. Don’t be afraid to explore different inks, papers, or even multi-colour methods as you build confidence.

If you run into any stumbling blocks, smudged edges, faint impressions, or stray marks – take a look at our Lino Printing Troubleshooting Guide for easy fixes. We also have more resources on advanced techniques if you’re eager to expand your repertoire. Most importantly, have fun, embrace the creative process, and watch your unique style unfold with every print you pull. Happy printing!