Facebook and Twitter
Colin Blanchard
  • Home
  • Recent Prints
  • Projects
  • Contact
  • About
    • Printing
    • Colin Blanchard
  • Blog

Back on the Blog - with a Big Shot Pro

3/13/2021

13 Comments

 
Picture
I can't believe that its been a year (and a very strange one too!) since I last wrote something on here.
It’s also been all of four years now since I discovered that ‘craft’ presses could be used successfully for printmaking. A Facebook group I set up – ‘Craft Press Printmakers’ now has over 4000 active members and people all over the world are making terrific work using these small presses.

The original press I used – The XCut Xpress - is now in short supply and seems likely to disappear. It was very portable and had the very useful pressure adjustment, but had size and strength limitations.
Another  major manufacturer of craft presses – Sizzix, currently make the daddy of all craft presses – the Big Shot Pro. When I saw them on offer (worryingly, sometimes a precursor to being discontinued!) I couldn’t resist getting one and having a go. I had no doubt it would print OK – once I had worked out how to build a suitably alterable ‘sandwich’ to control pressure variation requirements. This is the first non adjustable craft press I have tried, but I am assuming the principles would apply to other similar ones.

What follows are just some notes on my first set up. As always I stress that this is what worked for me – and for this particular combination of image, inking and paper. People often ask for a list or recipe for a specific set of sandwich layers for presses with no pressure adjustment. There simply isn’t one that fits all. Indeed, as I continue to work on the demo block I’m using for this set up, I will, no doubt, have to subtly alter the pressure for the different stages.
The Pro is big and heavy; 20 kg/44 lbs and over 60 cm/2ft long. However it can take a bed of 32 cm/12.5” wide (by as long as you want to make one!) It seems to be made with really solid metal parts and the gearing is fast and smooth. It comes with a nicely made selection of shims and pads along with its metal tray; all designed for its principal purpose of die cutting. I didn’t really bother to try any of these as they are too short for my printing plans. However, the black soft pad that is provided would be good for smaller lino/relief blocks if you didn’t want to use a conventional blanket or  top ‘pusher’ layer and the metal tray would support set type in a chase.
​
The first thing I did was to measure the roller gap. It is 28mm/1.1” (also room enough to take ‘type high’ material - 23.3mm/.918”) This enabled me to make some rough calculations as to what I would need in terms of my sandwich ‘ingredients’.

Picture

Initially I am setting up for lino printing (I will test intaglio etc later) specifically using my usual Marmoleum glued to 6mm MDF - which comes to about 8mm in thickness. I knew I wanted a good firm bed – of a length to enable normal proportioned prints plus room to lock the block in place and register paper.  I have a collection of boards from old kitchen units etc made of melamine faced chipboard. So I made two beds – one 16mm and one 19mm thick.
I also cut some 3mm hardboard/Masonite sheets to size; plus some 1.5mm mountboard and 2mm backing board  from my framing materials. Two 3 – 4 mm felts (cheap off eBay) and a piece of (even cheaper) table top protector made up a suitable collection to give me any permutation of basic thicknesses -  up to the 28mm; plus some sheets of paper under the block itself as final fine adjustments or ‘make ready’, if required according to the image and inking requirements.
Picture

Picture
I decided on the 16mm base bed and set up my test block, which is 22cm wide, in my usual tight fitting supporting ‘chase’ of more 6mm MDF plus 0.55 Ternes Burton registration pins. The plan being to make a reduction lino and screenprint combination print as I have done before (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy-HbhZF4nk&t=999s)
I then added some card sheet packing underneath, and the same size as, the bed to raise it to what I thought would be a suitable remaining gap for the printing paper and soft packing or blanket.
Picture
Picture
It is important to remember that, by and large, to get the best control of ink transfer – particularly with damp paper and intaglio printing - the firm packing layers of any sandwich should go underneath the block or plate and the top roller should only have to compress the printing paper and a minimum of top packing and/or blanket on top of the block or plate.
I print my lino with thin layers of often quite reduced ink and I find I get a better smoothing out of any surface texture or unevenness of the block if I use at least some soft packing from a top felt or blanket. Such a blanket also helps stop ‘skidding’ of the paper; it protects the roller from even low TB pins; and grips the top roller to give a smooth pass through the press. (The Pro does also have a textured grip surface on the top roller).

With any press set up – particularly with linocut – my method is then to test the block through the press without ink. I am looking (and feeling) for two things: If there is no, or very little resistance to the winding through then it is likely to need some additional pressure. And, of course if it immediately seems like it will take some effort to get it through, I do not force it, but back off immediately and reduce the pressure before possible damage to the block or the press.
Secondly, with softer papers, like my preferred 300gsm Somerset, I will be looking for just a slight embossing of the edges of the printing areas.  When a dry printed sheet of the paper is held to the light and no impression at all can be seen,  then ink transfer would likely be weak. And again conversely, an obvious deep emboss will mean smudged ink, loss of fine detail and possible degrading of the block.
Harder papers may not need to show any impression. Then only experience and practice at feeling the pressure on the handle can be used. I keep a supply of suitable off cuts and reject prints of the same paper for all testing. It is pointless setting up a press and print proofing with paper of a different thickness and character to that intended for the ‘good’ prints.
Picture
Once happy with my dry run, I can then go ahead and apply ink to the block and take a first proof. Usually this is a little too faint. Which is fine, as it means I can subtly increase the packing or ‘make ready’ under the block and try again (lino prints are a bit like pancakes anyway - the first one is always a bit odd!)
The first black proofs I took were done with two thin felt blankets. I subsequently took out one of these and added a 2mm stiff board  under, and the same size as, the bed.
Picture
I will follow up with a further report when I have progressed with the edition/s from this block.
​Footnote: I am now wondering if, under a good solid bed, instead of full sheets of extra layers; just strips of different thicknesses of something like plastic sheet, on the two side runners only would be easier to use and store, but still do their job?

13 Comments
Greta Movassaghi
3/15/2021 08:18:01 pm

Thank you so much for walking us through your process. Your hard work benefits all of us waiting in the wings to try your recommendations with our BigShot. Greatly appreciated.

Reply
Print Britannia link
4/28/2021 12:47:59 pm

Well written! It is really now a matter of time to see the printing industry to the top position around the world. Printing press really changed the world and made everything easy to access!

Reply
Catherine Williams
7/14/2021 03:11:20 am

I am interested in your printing exploits with the Sissix Big Shot Pro machine. Thank you

Reply
Judith
8/14/2021 12:26:06 am

Many thanks for this. It’s really informative. I’m considering buying a small craft machine for drypoint printing. Which would you recommend as most suitable for this particular technique please?

Reply
Colin
8/15/2021 09:31:04 am

Thanks Judith. I’ve said many times before: ‘any press is just a gap between two hard things’! Most of these small craft presses will have sufficient pressure to push proper soft damp good quality paper into an ordinary drypoint plate; plastic or metal. The quality of the print depends much more on your etching and inking technique than on the press itself. However, I’m sure that if you can afford one and don’t wish to easily transport or pack it away, then this Big Shot Pro is the best available. It has no pressure adjustment, but once you have arrived at a standard sandwich for your personal technique, there will be little need for change. It’s extra size and robustness is also a great advantage over most of the others. You will be able to print A4 plates with a decent paper margin and with as much pressure as you are ever likely to need. I’ve recently been blind embossing deep carved lino on dry paper; using so much pressure I had to really force it. Never missed a beat!

Reply
Margaret Hogan
10/2/2021 03:32:19 am

Thank you Colin.
this is the most comprehensive overview with recommendations concerning the Sizzix. Pro. You have done us all a great favor.

Reply
Margaret Hogan
10/14/2021 06:09:55 am

Hello Colin, I have enjoyed this comprehensive presentation of the Sizzix. Do you print dry?

Reply
Colin
10/14/2021 03:55:12 pm

Thank you. Linocut - always dry. Intaglio, obviously well dampened.

Reply
MckinneyVia link
12/1/2021 11:20:49 pm

Excellent article! Your post is essential today. Thanks for sharing, by the way.
If you are looking for coupon codes and deals just visit coupon plus deals dot horizn studios sale dot com

Reply
Billie
2/5/2022 04:43:15 pm

Hey thanks…this is brilliant! I am doing a printing course and am going to try using my small ‘big shot’ and am really excited to begin experimenting with it. This has given me pointers and enthusiasm.

Reply
MckinneyVia link
2/11/2022 01:22:34 am

Very much appreciated. Thank you for this excellent article. Keep posting!

Reply
Ruth
6/12/2022 04:39:11 am

Woohoo just got mine, we are sorting out a bed and layers. Thank you for the encouragement, I’d never have risked it otherwise. I can’t find the further report though, did it happen?

Reply
Marc Myers link
10/20/2022 01:01:48 pm

Nor window property theory rule throw break. Husband stay should maybe pressure page. Wall sport here.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Impressed

    Thoughts of an artist, printmaker, countryman and incidental poet

    Archives

    July 2022
    March 2021
    May 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    July 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    August 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed