MASEREEL

Relief printing

Relief printing is the oldest printing technique. In the past it was used masterfully by artists like Frans Masereel and it is still used today by artists such as Kerry James Marshall and Andrea Büttner. The image is created by working on wood or linoleum: the parts not to be printed are cut away with a gouge or an electric Dremel; only the high parts are inked and printed. 

There are two ways to carry out relief printing: with a press or manually. In both cases, the plate is inked with relief ink. Working manually, you use a bar to transfer the image: once the paper has been placed on the inked plate, you rub the back of the paper with the bar until the ink has been transferred. For larger woodcuts, linocuts or larger print runs, a press is more practical. Both methods produce similar results with the distinctive quality of a woodcut 

Well-known forms of relief printing are woodcut, linocut and typography, where typography focuses specifically on designing set text. 

At MASEREEL, we also use a laser cutter, a tool which offers new possibilities and applications. For example, the laser cutter is ideal for making stamps, adding contemporary precision to this classic technique. 

Screen printing

Screen printing is the most modern of the traditional printing techniques and has its origins in older stencil printing. In the 1960s, screen printing became an iconic medium within pop art, with artists such as Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg taking it to the next artistic level. To this day, screen printing is one of the most popular graphic techniques, loved for its accessibility and versatility. 

The technique uses a frame with a tightly stretched nylon mesh called a ‘screen’. The screen is coated with a thin layer of light-sensitive emulsion. The image you want to print is prepared on a transparent film. This can be done digitally, with a printer, or by hand with a UV-resistant rubylith film or opaque black ink. The screen is then placed in a UV exposure unit where the emulsion is exposed through the transparent part of the film. After exposure, the parts of the screen are washed with water – those parts where the drawing on the film protected the emulsion from UV light. The screen is now ready to let ink pass through the openings and so to transfer the image to paper, using a squeegee. 

At MASEREEL, screen printing is also widely used to print on materials such as textile, glass, wood and other supports. We try to work as much as possible with water-based inks to limit the use of solvents. 

Intaglio

Intaglio printing is a technique in which ink is printed onto paper from the lower parts of a printing plate (as opposed to relief printing). The printing plate – or matrix – can be made of copper, zinc or acrylic (Plexiglas), among other materials. Lines are engraved or etched into the plate with an etching liquid (nitric acid, copper sulphate or ferric chloride). 

When making an etch, a layer of varnish is applied to a copper or zinc plate. Using an etching needle, you then scratch the drawing into this varnish layer, exposing the underlying plate. The plate is then placed in a bath of etching liquid, such as ferric chloride or copper sulphate (depending on the material). The liquid bites into the exposed lines. The longer the plate stays in the liquid, the deeper the lines become, which, when printing, results in more ink absorption and therefore darker lines.  

In the case of an engraving, the image is physically scratched into the plate with an etching needle, roulettes or burins (dry-point techniques). When using drypoint etching techniques, no etching fluid is used.  

Famous artists: Luc Tuymans, Fred Bervoets, Peter Doig, Kiki Smith, etc.  

Other  intaglio techniques  

• Dry point: This technique has you use a needle or other materials to scratch lines directly into the plate. The scratches create variations in tones and result in velvety, frayed lines. The deeper and harder you scratch, the darker the tones become. 

• Aquatint: A pattern of small dots is applied to the plate using aquatint resin powder or by airbrush. This pattern creates a structure to which the ink can adhere during printing. The gaps between the resin or acrylic dots allow the etching fluid to bite, enabling large, planar effects. This technique is ideal for adding tones to your etching, in addition to the sharper lines. 

• Photo etching: A layer of polymer or gelatine can be used to convert photographic images to intaglio. 

Intaglio, made famous by painters such as Rembrandt in the seventeenth century, offers a unique combination of sharp lines and subtle textures. At MASEREEL, we combine traditional techniques with modern innovations, such as photographic etching techniques and the use of laser cutters. In addition, digital varnish layers can be printed with a UV printer. In short, we offer a wide range of possibilities to provide resident artists with the best possible technical support. 

Lithography

Lithography, invented by Aloïs Senefelder, is a planographic printing technique based on the principle that water and oil repel each other. The technique uses a porous lithographic limestone brick that retains both oil and water. Lithography was the forerunner of offset printing, both techniques working with a flat printing plate and positive image processing. This means that the image you draw on the stone is printed in the same way. The drawing material is oily and penetrates the stone. 

After preparing the stone, it is kept moist during printing. This causes the ink to build up only where the drawing is. The wet parts of the stone repel the ink, so only the drawings retain ink. Once the stone has been inked, the paper is carefully placed on the stone, lined up according to the drawing, and then printed using a press. 

Between the drawing on the stone and the final printing, there is an extensive preparatory process that ensures that the image is stable and that multiple prints can be made. 

Artists: Oldrich Kulhanek, Ingrid Ledent, Bruce Nauman 

Digital printing

Digital printers made their definitive entry into the realm of artistic applications at the end of the last century thanks to high-quality inks that guarantee a well-defined colourfastness. Digital printers can only be used subject to the creation of a digital file via a digital photo or drawing programme. These programmes – such as Photoshop or Illustrator – can be used to edit and process images, and to create matrices that you can later print using an analogue process. You can scan up to A3 size using our Macs (equipped with the full Adobe Creative Suite). We also have a number of devices for specific technical applications.
MASEREEL is not equipped with 3D printers. 

Artists: Simon Denny, Maki Suzuki ,… 

RISO 

RISO is a Japanese company that makes machines for cheap and fast printing, especially for schools and community centres. They have several models, such as the Duplicator and the ComColor.  

• Duplicator: This is a stencil printing machine. Using a computer or scanner, you transfer your image onto a sheet of rice paper on a colour drum. You can then quickly print the stencil in the desired, available colour. You create a separate Master for each colour layer. 

• ComColor: This is a ‘high speed’ inkjet printer. Because it works with ink (instead of toner), you can play with transparency and saturation. 

Both machines are often used for small publications or posters. The size (A3) and colour choice are limited, but they deliver interesting and tactile results quickly. 

Laser cutter 

With the laser cutter, you can engrave or cut into different materials. You can engrave or cut anything that is flat, non-flammable and chloride-free (materials such as PVC are therefore not safe). The engraved materials can serve as the end result or as a matrix for further prints. For example, we use the laser cutter to engrave wood or acrylic sheets that we then print with relief printing. The files must be vectorial so that the laser can follow the lines precisely. 

UV printing 

You can print on almost anything with a UV printer, as long as it is flat and fits in the machine. UV ink sets instantly after exposure to UV light, so prints are completely dry immediately. You print in CMYK, with the option of adding white and/or clear, vastly expanding the range of colour and texture possibilities. 

Laser printer

A laser printer is a printer that uses toner ink cartridges to adhere the image to paper or film by means of heat, the ink consisting of fine plastic powder (as in a copier).  MASEREEL uses large-format printers. For example, we have a black-and-white Océ plotter, a laser printer to transfer images to paper or tracing paper to make films for screen printing.

The Epson printer is used to make high-quality digital and colourfast prints in large format or to make digital films for a finer exposure film for photo etching. The durable, water-resistant inks can also be used in all kinds of collage applications in other techniques (chine-collé techniques).