Lino & Block Printing Tools: A UK Buying Guide
The appeal of lino printing is easy to understand. It is a wonderfully tactile process that connects you directly to the image you are making, from the first cut to the final reveal. It doesn't demand a vast, expensive studio setup, making it one of the most accessible forms of printmaking. But that accessibility comes with a bewildering array of choices. Which block is best? Are expensive cutters worth it? What's the real difference between all those inks?
This guide cuts through the noise. We're laying out the options in plain English, based on our experience supplying tools to everyone from weekend hobbyists to professional printmakers. This is about helping you choose the right tools for the job, so you can spend less time guessing and more time printing.
Choosing Your Block: Lino, Vinyl, and Other Surfaces
The block is your canvas. The material you choose will dictate the feel of cutting, the level of detail you can achieve, and the final look of your print. There are two main families of block you'll encounter.
Traditional Linoleum (The Grey/Brown Stuff)
This is the classic material that gives the craft its name. Proper linoleum is made from natural, sustainable materials: solidified linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, and pine resin, pressed onto a hessian backing. It has a distinctive, slightly medicinal smell. Cutting it is a unique sensory experience.
- Pros: Holds exceptionally fine detail. The firm surface allows for crisp, sharp lines and textures. It's durable and provides a satisfying, clean cut when using sharp tools. Many experienced artists prefer its resistance and control.
- Cons: It's hard. In a cold UK workshop, it can be very stiff and brittle. You often need to warm it slightly on a radiator or with a hairdryer to make it easier to cut. If it's old or stored badly, it can dry out and crumble.
- Best for: Artists aiming for highly detailed work, fine art editions, and those who enjoy the traditional process.
Soft-Cut Vinyl Blocks (e.g., Essdee SoftCut, Speedy-Carve)
These modern alternatives are not linoleum at all, but a type of polymer or PVC. They are typically white, pink, or blue and feel much softer and more flexible to the touch. They were developed to make block printing more accessible, especially for beginners and schools.
- Pros: Very easy to cut. No need for warming, you can start carving straight away. The softness reduces the physical effort required, which is great for long sessions or for those with less hand strength. They don't crumble.
- Cons: The softness is also a drawback. It's much harder to achieve super-fine, sharp lines as the material can 'squash' or tear rather than cut cleanly. It can feel 'gummy' under the tool, which some people dislike.
- Best for: Beginners, children, bold graphic designs, quick projects, and proofing ideas before committing to traditional lino.
A Note on Block Sizes
Blocks are commonly sold in standard paper sizes: A6 (postcard), A5 (a paperback book), A4 (letterhead), and A3 (a small poster). Our advice is to start small. An A6 or A5 block is manageable, requires less carving, uses less ink, and is easier to print by hand. It allows you to master the process before tackling a huge, intimidating A3 slab that could take weeks to carve.
The Cutters: Your Most Important Investment
Your cutting tools are the single most important part of your kit. A sharp, comfortable tool makes carving a pleasure; a dull, poorly made one makes it a frustrating chore. As we've noted in other guides, from our comparison of beading tools — pros vs Amazon to finding the best pliers under £30, investing in quality always pays off in the end. Lino cutting is no different.
The Beginner's Standard: Speedball Speedy-Cutter
This is the kit most people start with. It features a plastic handle with a chuck mechanism that holds a variety of small, interchangeable cutting nibs. The handle also has a removable end cap for storing the nibs.
- Pros: Inexpensive. A single purchase gets you a handle and a range of blade profiles to experiment with. It's a low-risk way to see if you even enjoy the craft.
- Cons: The blades are rarely as sharp as they could be and dull quickly. The chuck mechanism can loosen, causing the nib to wobble or even fall out during a cut, which is both frustrating and unsafe. It's a starter tool, not a long-term solution.
The Japanese Workhorse: Mikisyo Power Grip
A significant step up in quality for a modest step up in price. These Japanese tools feature laminated steel blades permanently set into comfortable, crayon-like wooden handles. They are often sold in sets of three, five, or seven.
- Pros: Extremely sharp right out of the package. The fixed blades are secure and reliable. The simple, ergonomic handles are comfortable for long periods. They represent the absolute best value for money for any serious beginner or intermediate printmaker.
- Cons: The blades are fixed, so you need to buy a set or individual tools to get a range of profiles, rather than just a set of nibs.
The Professional's Choice: Pfeil
Pfeil are the gold standard. These Swiss-made tools are crafted from high-carbon steel and are available with either traditional long handles or the 'palm grip' style popular with block printers. They are bought individually and are an investment for life.
- Pros: Unmatched sharpness and edge retention. They feel perfectly balanced and solid in the hand, offering incredible control. A set of Pfeil tools, properly cared for, will last a lifetime of professional use.
- Cons: They are expensive. Building a set of Pfeil gouges is a significant financial commitment. They are overkill for someone just trying the craft out.
Understanding Blade Profiles
Whatever brand you choose, you'll be faced with different blade shapes, or profiles. A good starter set needs only two or three.
- V-Gouge: The most essential tool. Used for outlining your design and creating sharp, fine lines. The angle of the 'V' determines the line width.
- U-Gouge: Used for clearing away larger areas of lino and for creating bolder, softer-edged lines. They come in a huge range of widths, from tiny 'veiners' to wide 'fluters'.
- Flat Chisel & Knife: Used for slicing off large background areas, cleaning up the edges of the block, and creating sharp, geometric corners. A craft knife can substitute for many of these tasks initially.
Safety First: Cutting Without A&E
A lino tool is, fundamentally, a very sharp chisel. It can slip. It can cause a nasty injury if used carelessly. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has extensive rules for professional workshops, but for the home user, it comes down to two simple, non-negotiable rules. Our commitment to about Toolsmith Ltd is built on professional practice, and this is paramount.
The first rule is: always cut away from your body. More specifically, always keep your non-cutting hand behind the path of the blade. Never, ever hold the block with one hand and push the tool towards it. One slip and the tool goes straight into your hand or wrist.
This leads to the second rule: use a bench hook. A bench hook is a simple, essential piece of safety equipment. It's a flat board with a wooden stop on the top and another on the bottom. You hook the bottom stop over the edge of your table, and place your lino block against the top stop. This holds the block securely in place while you cut, freeing your other hand to be kept safely out of the way. It is not an optional extra; it is a fundamental part of a safe workflow.
From Block to Paper: Ink, Rollers, and Pressure
You've carved your masterpiece. Now you need to get the image onto paper. This involves three things: ink, a roller to apply it, and a method of transferring it.
Inks: Water-Based vs. Oil-Based
The choice of ink has a huge impact on your final print's colour, texture, and longevity.
- Standard Water-Based Inks: These are great for beginners. They are inexpensive, non-toxic, and clean up easily with just water. However, they can dry very quickly on your slab and block, which can be stressful. The final print can sometimes look a bit flat or 'chalky'.
- Traditional Oil-Based Inks: These are the professional standard. They offer incredibly rich, vibrant colours and a long 'open' time, meaning they stay wet on the slab for hours, allowing for relaxed inking. The downside is cleanup, which requires white spirit or other solvents, and the prints can take days or even weeks to dry fully.
- Water-Washable Oil-Based Inks: This is the modern miracle. Brands like Caligo Safe Wash have formulated inks that have all the properties of oil-based ink—rich colour, slow drying on the slab—but they clean up with just soap and water. They are the best of both worlds and are highly recommended for anyone serious about their results.
The Brayer (That's a Roller to You and Me)
The tool used to roll ink onto your block is called a brayer. A good brayer is crucial for even ink application. The most important feature is the roller material. A soft rubber brayer is the best all-rounder, as it's more forgiving and makes better contact with slightly uneven blocks. A hard rubber brayer is less forgiving and better for very fine, controlled ink layers. Get a decent soft rubber brayer that is at least as wide as the narrowest dimension of your typical block size.
Making the Print: Baren, Spoon, or Press?
Once the paper is laid on the inked block, you need to apply pressure to transfer the ink. You don't need a giant printing press.
- The Baren: This is a traditional Japanese tool, a flat, disc-like pad with a handle. You hold it and rub it in firm, circular motions across the entire back of the paper. It's designed to apply even, consistent pressure.
- The Back of a Spoon: The classic low-budget option. A simple wooden or metal spoon, used in the same way as a baren, works remarkably well for small prints.
- A Clean Roller: You can also use a clean, dry brayer to roll firmly over the back of the paper.
- Printing Press: An etching or relief press gives the most consistent, even pressure, especially for large prints. It's a wonderful thing to have, but a huge investment and absolutely not necessary to create beautiful hand-burnished prints.
Paper and The Printing Process
The final piece of the puzzle is the paper. The wrong paper can ruin a perfect print.
Choosing Your Paper
For hand burnishing (using a baren or spoon), you need a paper that is thin but strong. Thick, heavy watercolour paper is almost impossible to print on by hand, as you can't apply enough pressure to get a good transfer.
- For Practice: Any cheap 80-120gsm cartridge paper is fine for testing your cuts and getting your inking right.
- For Finished Prints: Look for lightweight papers. Japanese papers (washi) are the ideal choice. Papers like Hosho or Mulberry are thin, very strong, and slightly absorbent, taking the ink beautifully. They are the standard for a reason. For a more Western feel, look for papers like Zerkall (around 145gsm) which is soft and works well for hand printing.
A Basic Workflow
Here is the entire process, step-by-step:
- Transfer Design: Draw directly on the block with a soft pencil, or transfer a drawing by covering the back of it with graphite and tracing over the lines. Remember the final print will be a mirror image of what's on the block!
- Cut Your Block: Secure the block on a bench hook. Use a V-gouge to cut your main lines first. Then use U-gouges to clear away the areas you don't want to print. Remember: you are cutting away the 'white' parts of the image.
- Ink the Slab: Squeeze a pea-sized amount of ink onto a flat, non-porous surface (a sheet of glass or acrylic is perfect). Use your brayer to roll the ink out into a thin, even rectangle. You're looking for a velvety texture and a zipping sound, not a squelchy one.
- Ink the Block: Roll the inked brayer over your carved block several times in different directions to ensure even coverage.
- Register and Print: Carefully lay your paper onto the inked block. Once it's down, don't move it. Hold it in place with one hand and use your baren or spoon to rub the back of the paper, applying firm, even pressure everywhere.
- The Reveal: Carefully peel the paper off the block, from one corner to the other, to reveal your print.
- Drying: Place the print somewhere it won't be disturbed. A simple string with pegs works well as a drying line. Water-based inks will be touch-dry in hours; water-washable oils may take a couple of days.
Key Takeaways
- Start with a soft-cut block and an affordable, high-quality cutter set like the Mikisyo Power Grip. You can graduate to traditional lino and Pfeil tools later.
- A bench hook is not optional. It is the most important safety device for block printing and costs very little.
- Water-washable oil-based inks like Caligo Safe Wash give you professional, oil-like results with the easy cleanup of water-based inks.
- A good soft-rubber brayer makes inking much easier and more consistent than a cheap, hard plastic one.
- For hand-burnishing, choose thin, strong paper. Japanese washi papers are the gold standard for a reason.
- Master the process on small A6 blocks. This builds confidence and technique without the commitment of a large, complex piece.
You now have a solid framework for choosing your first lino printing kit. The key is to start with reliable, safe tools that won't fight you, allowing you to focus on your creativity and the joy of the process. Once you're ready to assemble your kit, you can find a curated selection of proven tools in our collection.
Explore our full range of Hobby & Craft Tools to get started.
