![Make a linocut print from scratch in one session](https://cdn.slatesource.com/a/3/c/a3cbebb4-f444-462d-9a5b-c46271e03385.webp)

# Make a linocut print from scratch in one session

- [Made in Slatesource](https://slatesource.com/@steph/make-a-linocut-print-from-scratch-in-one-session)
- By [Steph](https://slatesource.com/@steph)
- Created on Oct 20, 2026

## Linocut is one of the most accessible printmaking methods there is. You carve a \\

raised design into a linoleum block, roll ink onto it, and press paper down to take the print. The same block gives you twenty or thirty consistent copies once it is ready. The process scales from a kitchen table. What most beginner tutorials skip are the feel cues: what good ink looks and sounds like on the inking plate, how to catch a bad pull before you lift the paper, and why a cold room ruins consistency. This tutorial covers all of it, from an empty block to a finished, dried edition, in one session of around two to three hours.

![](https://cdn.slatesource.com/a/3/c/a3cbebb4-f444-462d-9a5b-c46271e03385.webp)

Andrey Korolchuk (CC BY-SA 4.0). Linocut printing at the Alexey Parygin workshop, Saint Petersburg, 2019.

Carving time

1 to 2 hours depending on design complexity

Printing time

20 to 40 minutes for a 10-print edition

Drying time

1 to 24 hours (water-based inks dry fastest)

Difficulty

Beginner, no prior printmaking experience needed

Estimated starter cost

Around $25 to $35 USD for a first session

## Step 1a. Supplies: block, tools, and inking plate

You need seven items. A basic kit costs around $25 to $35 for a first session. Linoleum block. Buy a soft grey or beige softcut block (also sold as Speedy-Carve or Moo-Carve). Soft blocks carve easily with modest pressure and are kind to beginner hands. Traditional grey battleship linoleum is harder and better for very fine line work, but it fatigues the hand quickly. A 4 x 6 inch block is a good starting size. Carving tools. A basic set with interchangeable blades: a small V-gouge for lines, a large V-gouge for medium gaps, and a U-gouge for clearing broad areas. Speedball and Pfeil both make reliable beginner sets. Do not use knives alone: they slip and cut hands. Inking plate. A smooth non-porous surface to roll out ink: a glass tile, perspex sheet, or the back of a ceramic plate all work.

## Step 1b. Supplies: ink, brayer, baren, and paper

Water-based block printing ink. Water-based inks clean up with soap and water, dry within an hour, and do not require solvents. Black is the standard first color. Speedball, Caligo Safe Wash, and Schmincke Aqua are all reliable brands. Brayer (roller). A 4-inch rubber brayer is the right size for a 4 x 6 inch block. Hard rubber gives crisper results than foam. Baren or wooden spoon. For applying pressure when printing by hand. A kitchen wooden spoon is a perfectly adequate baren. Paper. Printmaking paper or cartridge paper with a smooth surface. Weights between 120 gsm and 200 gsm work well. Very thin paper tears; very thick paper needs more pressure to pick up detail.

## Step 2. Plan a design that suits the medium

Linocut rewards bold, high-contrast designs. On a first attempt, choose a subject with a clear silhouette: a leaf, an animal outline, a simple geometric pattern. Avoid photorealistic gradients; they require reduction printing, which destroys the block progressively and is not a beginner technique. Draw your design on paper first at the same size as your block. Spend a moment on this: fine lines less than 2 mm wide are very hard to carve cleanly on a first attempt and will likely break or fill with ink. Keep a margin of at least 5 mm around the edge of the block. Important: whatever you carve will print as a mirror image. Text, faces, and directional shapes must be drawn in reverse before you transfer them.

## Step 3. Transfer the design to the block

Shade the back of your design paper heavily with a soft pencil (2B or softer). Lay the paper face-up on the block and trace firmly over every line with a ballpoint. Lift the paper: the pencil carbon on the back transfers a faint copy of your design directly onto the lino. Go over the transferred lines with a marker so you can see them clearly while carving. Alternatively, rub the face of the paper against the block if it was drawn with a soft pencil directly, or print a design in reverse from a computer and use acetone transfer (dab acetone on the back of the laser print, press it to the block, and the toner transfers cleanly).

## Step 4. Warm the block and carve

Cold linoleum resists the tool and causes the gouge to skip. Before you begin, rest the block on a radiator or under a warm lamp for 5 to 10 minutes. It should feel warm to the touch, not hot. Use a bench hook or place a nonslip mat under the block to stop it moving. Always carve away from your free hand: if the tool slips it travels into empty air rather than into skin. Always brace the block against a stop. Carve the outlines first with the small V-gouge, following your drawn lines. Then switch to the large V-gouge and U-gouge to clear the broader areas you do not want to print. A shallow cut is enough: you do not need to carve all the way through. Depth of 1 to 2 mm is sufficient to keep ink off those areas. Take test prints as you go (see Step 5). It is much easier to remove more material than to add it back. Small over-carvings can be filled with a tiny amount of clear-drying PVA glue, left to set, and recarved.

![](https://cdn.slatesource.com/b/7/5/b759d6a5-ad2e-4e99-895b-d8c1940d25d3.webp)

Zephyris, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Using a V-gouge to cut a design into a linoleum block.

## Step 5. Ink the block: the most important step

Most first-session failures happen here. The goal is a very thin, even, slightly tacky layer of ink on every raised surface of the block. Squeeze out a small amount of ink onto your inking plate: roughly the size of a grape is enough for 10 prints. Roll the brayer back and forth through the ink in multiple directions until the ink on the plate is almost see-through in a thin film. The sound changes: thick ink makes a wet, sticky slap; correctly spread ink makes a quiet, velvety hiss as the brayer rolls. That hiss is the cue you want. Roll the brayer across the carved block in overlapping passes. The raised areas pick up ink; the carved channels stay clear. Check for dry patches (pale raised areas) and for ink pooling in carved channels. Both are signs of either too much ink or too little rolling. Too much ink is by far the most common mistake. It fills your carved lines, blurs edges, and prints as a muddy smear. If in doubt, use half as much ink as you think you need.

## Step 6. Pull a print and check before you lift

Lay a sheet of paper squarely over the inked block. Hold one edge of the paper fixed with a finger to keep it from shifting. Use the baren or wooden spoon to rub firmly across the back of the paper in overlapping circles, covering every area of the design at least twice. Before lifting the paper fully, carefully peel back one corner and check. If you see pale or empty areas, lay the corner back down and apply more pressure specifically to those spots. This peek-before-lift step rescues prints that would otherwise be wasted. Once you are satisfied, lift the paper straight up from the block. Set it face-up on a flat surface to dry. Re-ink the block between each print. An edition of 10 prints takes about 20 to 30 minutes once you find a rhythm.

Ink fills carved lines

Too much ink. Halve the amount and roll thinner.

Patchy pale areas in print

Too little ink, cold room, or uneven pressure.

Blurred or smeared edges

Ink too thick, or paper shifted during printing.

Block slips during carving

No bench hook. Use a nonslip mat and a stop.

Faint print overall

Apply more pressure, burnish in tighter overlapping circles.

Water-based inks dry in 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature. Stack prints with a sheet of clean paper between each one to prevent offset. Once dry, most water-based block printing inks are lightfast and wash-resistant on paper, but they are not fully waterproof.

Carving tool blades are surgical-sharp. Keep the blade direction away from your free hand at all times. Children under 12 should use dedicated safety carving tools (Speedball makes a safety lino cutter with a spring guard) and adult supervision for this step.

[Speedball Block Printing 101 Manual (PDF): official guide to tools, inks, and printing techniques](https://www.speedballart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Speedball-Block-Printing-101-Manual.pdf?utm_source=slatesource)

[Hickman Design: why is my lino print not working (troubleshooting over-inking, pressure, and adhesion)](https://hickmandesign.co.uk/blog/tips/why-is-my-lino-print-not-working/?utm_source=slatesource)