subject: Methods of Flattening Printmaking Papers [print this page] Methods of Flattening Printmaking Papers Methods of Flattening Printmaking Papers
In the process of printing intaglios, print papers are soaked or spritzed with water. This softens the paper fibers and also removes some of the sizing, allowing for better transfer of the ink in the printing process. Unfortunately, the paper will buckle as it dries, rendering it unsuitable for display or collections. There are several options available to the printmaker to resolve this issue.
A common and reliable method is to simply stretch the damp paper, a practice done by watercolor artists. The moist print is adhered to a flat plywood board using, dampened gummed tape. As the paper dries, it shrinks and flattens. The paper should not be removed too soon, even though it may look flat. The fibers must be allowed to stabilize, which may take up to 24 hours. A special note should be made concerning "water-leaf" papers. "water-leaf" refers to papers such as "Copperplate/Zerkall," which have less sizing and are very absorbent. They tend to be difficult to stretch because of this property. To correct this problem, the printmaker may wish to allow the fresh print to sit for about 5 minutes, before taping. If the paper looks like it is detaching from the board, it could be stapled right though the tape.
Another excellent method is to allow the moist prints to dry under compression. This process is less practical for a classroom situation, because it requires more attention during the drying time. Essentially, the damp prints are sandwiched between blotter papers and are placed under boards with heavy weights placed on top. C-clamps or vintage book presses could also be used in place of weights. Some printmakers prefer drywall and newsprint paper instead of blotters. Prior to placing the prints under the boards, the edition should be allowed to dry and the ink to cure. After this is complete, the printsare re-moistened and rolled under towels.The prints are thensandwiched between the blotters which have beenpreviously warmedon a hotplate. It is important that their moisture is less than the room's humidity. Throughout the drying process, the blottersmust be replacedseveral timeswith dry ones. Drying time could take up to several days, with three or fourchanges of blotters. Waterleaf papers may take additional days.
Perhaps a lesser known method is to stretch newsprint paper over the dampened print. The moist print is placed on a flat plywood surface. Newsprint is cut to a little larger size is placed on top of the print. The newsprint is spritzed with water and is then taped to the board with wet gummed tape. As the newsprint dries, it will stretch over the dampened print, flattening the print. This method has some limitations. It tends not to work well with "water leaf" papers, which usually buckle toward its edges. This method is more suitable with papers such as Arches or Rives BFK. The size of the print is also a factor on how well it stretches. Larger prints are more likely to buckle.Even though this method is a bit problematic, it has the advantage of not having to sacrifice border size due to taping.
