Open Press 3D Printed Mini Press

Kozo paper on left, cotton paper on right

The experimenting began with an opportunity provided by Cathy Gleason to try out an Open Press Mini Press as part of a papermaking session led by paper artist Allison Roscoe at the Manoa Heritage Center, Honolulu, HI.

The practical plate size is 100mm (4in) x 60mm (2 /38in) or smaller and 150mm (6in) x 70mm (2 3/8) largest paper size.

For this test: 

Printing plate is on 2in x 4"in thin (1mm) plexiglass with both drypoint and masking tape.

Speedball Acrylic Block Printing Ink was used. 

Plate was placed directly on press bed and newsprint served as a press blanket.

Hand made and hand dyed paper was chiné collection applied with methyl cellulose powder.

A light dusting of gold mica powder was randomly tapped from a fine paint brush on the surface before printing.

Assessment: 

The working space was breezy and it was difficult to manage the drying time of the ink. A light mist of water was sprayed on just prior to printing. May have been overcompensation! Need to do another printing in a less breezy space.

Press is fun and easy to use but resulting prints are small.