Wedding Blog

Our post-wedding thank you cards are much different than our pre-wedding cards and most of our other stationery. This is mostly because 1) screen printing in multiple colors is labor intensive and 2) I am tired.So, I went with a single color linoleum block print of our logo:

 Linoleum block prints are cheap and easy to make. They are basically an easier to carve version of a woodblock print.

You’ll need a linoleum block (mine is 3″ x 4″), a carving tool, ink, a brayer and something to print on. All of my supplies came from from a local art store and cost less than $20. Here is how to make your own:

Print a picture of the one-color image you want to carve and glue it lightly with a glue stick to the linoleum block.

Cut an outline of the image using your carving tool.

Peel off the printed image.

Carve out the rest of the negative space.

Now you have your very own single color lino block.

Inking and stamping has a few more steps than a plain rubber stamp. First, you’ll use ink from a tube instead of an ink pad. Find a flat, easily cleanable surface for rolling out your ink. I use a piece of glass I had cut and polished for this purpose, but an old dinner plate would probably work just as well. Just put one or two dollops of ink on your surface and roll over it with the brayer until its roller is fully coated. Be careful about how much ink is on the brayer, too much and you’ll lose detail, too little and parts of your print won’t get inked at all. Just keep rolling until the brayer makes sort of a sizzling noise as it rolls over the ink.

Next, apply your inked brayer to your lino block coating all of the parts you intend to print. Place the block over your paper and stamp. For extra clear prints, use a spoon to rub the back of paper on the stamp before removing it.