Paper is cut to size, newsprint is cut to size. I dampen by spraying with a water bottle about every other sheet if thin paper, every sheet if thick-meaty paper, then stacking the whole thing between blotters and weighed down by a board, placed on another board. Once the paper is soft and ever so slightly damp, printing begins. If you are slow, have large areas to print, want every print to be perfect, then you need to leave the paper between the boards so that it will stay soft. Whatever ink I am using is rolled out on the marble slab or glass slab to a very thin and even sheet.
Printing is a matter of rolling out the ink on the block until it is loaded with ink.
It helps me to look at the block at a very sharp angle so that I can actually see where the ink is evenly rolled out. I tend to use quite a bit of ink, but not to the point where it clogs details. Then I place paper on the block, making sure the margins and non-printing areas are clean. A slight caress with my hand assures that the paper sticks to the ink and won't move while I print. Obtaining a good even print is hard work and takes some muscle.