I’ve long wanted a printmaking press but always felt it was a bridge too far in the art supply/equipment acquisition department. They are big, they are heavy, they are fussy and I just don’t do enough printing to justify one.
However, one day as I was pondering my lack of a press for linoleum block printing, it occurred to me that the old Sizzix die-cutting machine I bought for Laura in her scrapbook phase that was still lurking in one of my art supply storage units might work as a tiny printing press. Several times I’d thought I should get rid of it, but somehow I just couldn’t. Meantime, I’d seen online hacks of old credit card imprint machines to make small linoleum block prints and that was cool, but those machines are hard to find and there’s quite a bit of adjustment required to make them work. Plus the size limitations are pretty extreme. Would the Sizzix machine work?
Well the answer is yes.
This is the second 2” x 3” landscape I’ve printed. Next I want to try 3” x 5” and those are really the outside dimensions that this little press can manage, but I’ll be on the lookout for other obsolete die cutting machines that might provide a larger printing area. Still, I think this will remain my favorite for its ease of use and the fact that you don’t have to roll the plate through the press and run the risk of things shifting.
I am also now inspired to finish my 3” x 3” letter series. I can print those blocks in this press as well.
Here’s the setup:
