With lockdown lifting I have been able to get access to the print room to finally see how my test blocks print. First impressions are very promising, the surface takes ink very well and transfers the design to the paper without slurring or marring the design. When printed next to conventional type made of wood and metal they are the correct height and the quality of the printed design is comparable if not impossible to identify as being a different material. After a day of printing they appear to be in much the same state as when I started with no sign of compression . They also clean easily with Lincoln wash and white spirit without the printing surface being affected (some materials fog and become textured when exposed to a solvent).
Initial blocks – Angle and flat printed blocks.
The flat printed blocks produced a successful print with an even distribution of ink. The angle printed blocks however appeared to show signs of compression with the printing surface being slightly lower than the other flat printed blocks. When locked up against other blocks it also becomes evident that they are also not square, seeminly having shifted slightly during the 3d priting process. Finally the actually print surface, due to being made up of many layers of resin rather than one flat layer as on the flat printed blocks retains ink when cleaned and prints with a slightly textured finish. Overall the flat printed method appears to produce the most consistent results.
Registration circles
After printing a few different variations of the 3 circles, which have been designed to test registration, there is a noticeable misalignment between layers. Close observation of the blocks when printing indicates that due to the slightly flared bases of the blocks, the elephants foot effect as mentioned previously, when pushed next to each other the blocks do not sit flat on the bed of the proofing press. Instead they tilt side to side. I will need to work out a way to negate or minimise this flaring in order to create blocks that will produce accurate prints.
