I let the chisels make their characteristic marks and modify my designs as they wish. Printing One of the magic things about printmaking is that the process modifies the final result. I think accepting the process is part of printmaking, knowing that the block and the ink will have their own say on what the final print looks like. Once the paper is soft and ever so slightly damp, printing begins. 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.
Then I place paper on the block, making sure the margins and non-printing areas are clean. Obtaining a good even print is hard work and takes some muscle. A print is obtained by rubbing the back of the paper with a printing tool. This can be a traditional Japanese Baren or rice spoon, or anything that will push the paper against the ink. I make sure as I go along that I am not moving the paper from the registration marks and that I am getting all the areas printed evenly.