Here I have a beginner’s mistake that really hurts – but not physically this time. Cleaning our utensils is part of printing, that’s for sure. But even here, you can make a critical mistake that will ruin your block in the worst case: Rinsing the lino block under the tap.

Traditional gray (and brown) linoleum has jute fibers on the back (hessian back). When those get wet, either completely or in large part, they contract. This causes your lino block to curl or curve convexly. And unfortunately, this cannot be reversed. Printing with such a block is no fun … what you have left is to glue it to a rigid surface. Best not to let it get that far in the first place.

In my online course, cleaning and storing printing supplies is also worth an entire module. In three video lessons, I’ll show you everything you need to know: what a simple, space-saving setup looks like and what rules to follow, how exactly you can and should clean your print supplies quickly and easily, and how to store them afterwards so they’ll last you a long time.

I’d love to see you in my course and guide your journey into the colorful world of lino printing.

Still unsure which tools and products you need for your lino printing starter kit? Just download my guide with product recommendations for linocut beginners – on 6 pages I list all the materials and tools I need to make my colorful prints – and you can do it too!