I'm a lucky printmaker. I own two etching presses - a large studio press as well as a medium size portable press. I also own an Xcut diecut machine (used in scrapbooking) which enables me to print A4 or smaller prints and is excellent for travel and workshops.
But recently I discovered the Open Press Project. The aim of this international project is to open up accessibility to printmaking to more people through mini etching presses that are 3D printed.
They can be ordered through their website openpressproject.com or you can get your own printed, which is what I did.
The designs are printer-ready and available for free via the links on their website, with lots of advice about the print settings required. I don't have a 3D printer so I sent the information to a local suburban guy who I found via google. He gave me a quote, which was just over $110AUD.
When I received the parts, I gave a few of the pieces like the rollers and bed a light sand then put them together. Its pretty easy. In addition, I had to get a few bolts and nuts from the hardware store and cut a small felt blanket from a few scraps that I had in my stash. For studio use, I'll need to screw the press to a piece of wood so I can clamp it to my studio benchtop.
Although I could assemble the press quite easy, I found a YouTube video by Imagination Labs which was helpful. Its also fascinating to watch the printing process.
My little press weighs 377grams including the bed. If I don't glue it together I can dissemble it for travel or storage if I want. It measures 10cm W x 13cm L x 15cm H. The bed is 7.5cm W x 14.3L. I'm thinking I could get a longer bed printed if I wanted to make longer prints.
My first test print was a small collagraph plate of a fern (which I had put together some time ago), and I printed it intaglio style. A total success!
This opens up a heap of possibilities for everyone, thank you to Martin and Dominik of Open Press Project.
I can see that this little press will come in handy for our caravan and camping trips... I could even sneak it into my kayak! 😀
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| My "Mini-Me" 3D printed etching press |
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| Revealing the print. |
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