Cutting Possibilities of Relief

1. There are a number of different woods and other man-made materials one can cut to make a relief print. These matrices begin with a halved potato and end with polymer resin wood engraving substitutes.

2. A potato print or rubber stamp are technically a basic form of relief printing. They are easy to ink (stamp pad), easy to register (by eye), and fast to use. The results rarely fall into the classification of "fine printing", but can be used to create very interesting effects because of the speed which one can work.

3. Linoleum comes in various forms. There is a soft printing linoleum which is sometimes called 'battleship linoleum' this is definately the best for printing. It comes in a roll, about 1/8 inch thick, or mounted on a block of particle board; close to type high. Linoleum is easy to cut and can be further softened with heat. When compared to wood, linoleum does have a tendency to dull tools pretty quickly and it lacks the lively qualities of wood like the grain and the its natural inconsistencies. However, the advantage is the fact that the problems that arise from cutting across the wood grain are eliminated.

4. There are many options in terms of wood. Traditionally, fruit woods and box woods are used. These woods are extrmemly hard and are a nice option for the person who wants detail and enjoys quality materials. This can be expensive and printing from a board can be difficult if it warps.

5. Plywood comes with a variety of veneers, of what birch is quite popular. Other people enjoy more textured plywoods like luan. Plywood doesn't seem to warp as readily as plank wood, but has the problem of having an occasional knot hole under the veneer that can result in areas of the block unexpectedly becoming useless.

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