Guides
Importing a Used US Printing Press to Canada: CBSA Duty, Surtax and GST
A Canadian buyer's guide to importing a used US printing press: heading 84.43 duty, the US surtax check, value for duty, 5% GST and a paperwork checklist.
Contributor
Sofia D. Reed
Subject: Printmaking and alternative photography. How far does the available information support a conclusion? Practical guides, comparisons and the questions behind a choice form this editorial remit. Sofia D. Reed is the editorial byline assigned to this area. The aim is to separate what the sources establish from what they leave open. This is an editorial pen name used by the publication, not a claim of an independently verified personal identity.
Features
Home printmaking projects: eight ideas and source choices
Home printmaking projects built around eight source-based ideas, with practical notes on choosing images and understanding copyright questions.
Guides
Home printmaking projects: when to switch how you learn
Home printmaking projects: when to move on from workshops to fixed projects, books and study, with named public image collections and copyright basics.
Reviews
A no-marketing buying guide to home printmaking kits and courses
A bench-first guide to named relief, cyanotype and screen kits, what each one actually contains, and how to judge a printmaking course before you pay.
Industry
4 points worth checking on home printmaking projects
Four checks that decide whether a home printmaking project holds up: time split, fault clustering, material shelf life and the rights on every source image.
Reviews
Anthotype Exposure Tracking: UV Dose for Plant Pigment Prints
Log sunlight minutes and UV index for each anthotype session, turn them into a UV dose, and compare plant pigment prints across weeks and seasons.
Reviews
Anthotype Prints Without Spinach: Testing Everyday Plant Pigments at Home
Testing beet, turmeric, berry and petal emulsions against spinach, with fade rates, a one-day test and coating tips for anthotype prints at home.
Reviews
Printmaking inks and paper: how to judge labels and sizing
Printmaking inks and paper: learn how to judge sizing with a water drop test, test sample packs properly, and tell defined label words from marketing.
Maintenance
Mistakes before joining independent print studios
Before you join independent print studios, avoid the common mistakes: assuming a sale transfers rights, misnaming authors, and moving your practice at once.
Reviews
How to choose materials for independent print studios
How independent print studios standardize inks, papers and cleanup, read the labeling rules that carry legal weight, and check used furniture for lead paint.
Reviews
Paperwork for independent print studios
A practical document kit for independent print studios, with printmaking processes, safety rules, waste records, and emergency-plan requirements.
Costs
How Canada Council grants cover presses and rent for a home print studio
Canada Council grants for printmaking can cover presses, chemistry and studio rent; here are the programs, budgets and eligibility rules to know.
Costs
Montreal compared with Toronto for shared print studio costs and press access
Montreal vs Toronto print studios: compare Atelier Circulaire and Open Studio hourly rates, membership fees and press access before you commit.
Reviews
Used Printing Press Market in Canada: Local Channels
Used printing press market in Canada: local classifieds and studio networks in Halifax, Winnipeg and Saskatoon, plus inspection checks and moving advice.
Industry
Do WorkSafeBC and Alberta OHS rules apply to a home print studio?
Printmaking studio safety rules Canada: when WorkSafeBC or Alberta OHS duties start in a home studio, plus ventilation, solvent storage and UV limits.
Guides
Gelatin Plate Monoprint Recipe: A Reusable Printmaking Surface
A gelatin plate monoprint recipe in cup measures, using Knox from US grocery stores, with a press-free method and a reusable surface that lasts weeks.
Reviews
Oil vs. Water Stones for Linocut Gouges: Which Cuts Better at Home?
Oil vs water stones linocut gouges compared for US home carvers: Norton India, water stones and hard Arkansas, with ranges and humid-climate storage.
Guides
Where to Buy Printmaking Supplies in Canada Without US Customs Fees
Where to buy printmaking supplies in Canada without customs fees: the Canadian suppliers in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal that price in CAD, plus what to check.
Features
Six studio projects for printmaking mistakes and filing
Six bench projects that turn printmaking mistakes into filed studio references. Five are printmaking, one is alternative photography. File by format first.
Guides
How to Screen Print at Home with a Vinyl Stencil
Vinyl stencil screen printing at home needs one screen, a sheet of Oracal and careful burnishing. Here is the step order, the edge test and the fix when ink creeps.
Guides
How to Wash Cyanotype on Fabric Without Fading the Blue
How to wash cyanotype on fabric without stripping the blue: cool water, pH-neutral detergent, a distilled rinse and a peroxide soak for a faded first wash.
Reviews
Printmaking mistakes: what to keep, isolate, and discard
Printmaking mistakes leave rejects and contaminated materials. Learn what to keep, what to isolate, how to handle spent solvents, and when to discard.
Reviews
Printmaking mistakes worth avoiding early
Fault-finding tools compared for first-time buyers: loupes, raking lamps, step wedges, moisture meters and pH pens compared for diagnosing print faults.
Maintenance
Why do printmaking mistakes keep happening, and how do you find the cause?
What causes printmaking mistakes, and why it keeps happening: a working taxonomy of print faults, a diagnostic order that finds the cause quickly.
Costs
Does a finished cyanotype print really cost what you think?
A finished cyanotype print carries paper, film, chemistry, failures and framing. Here is where the money goes and when a reproduction is cheaper.
Reviews
Sequence your cyanotype purchases so the essentials come first
The buying order for a first cyanotype setup, why premixed chemistry beats raw powders at the start, and the equipment not to buy at any stage.
Reviews
What beginner printing presses need: kit and checks
The core kit for beginner printing presses, from blankets and packing card to feeler gauges, plus the setup checks that keep impressions even.
Reviews
Fitting out a printmaking workspace: what to buy before the first tool arrives
Beginner kit for fitting out a printmaking workspace in 2027: the equipment a print room needs before any hand tools arrive, drying, containment, washing.
Guides
Carving out room for a linocut project on a shared table
Small-space setup for linocut projects: how to carve, ink and print relief blocks on a table you also eat at, including the pack-down routine and the eye protection.
Industry
What a printmaking press costs to buy, move, site and run
A practical breakdown of what a printmaking press costs to buy, move, site and run, with figures for rigging, blankets, servicing, ink, paper and studio time.
Reviews
Work surfaces compared for a beginner printing press setup
Choosing and arranging the surfaces around a press: the stand it sits on, the feed and receive tables, and the clean bench a damp sheet needs.
Reviews
Printmaking workspace surfaces: solvent resistance versus flatness
Best work surfaces for a printmaking workspace: comparing bench tops for a print room on solvent resistance, flatness, repairability and cost.
Reviews
Beginner printing presses: first principles
The four press families a beginner actually chooses between, the five specifications that decide fit, and how to judge guarding on a secondhand machine.
Industry
5 lessons worth learning about linocut project ideas
How independent relief printmakers choose projects, build a recognizable body of work, and handle the naming and rights questions that come with selling.
Guides
Home printmaking documentation: photographing, mounting, captioning and numbering an edition
A copy photography setup for prints made at home, plus how to hinge, mat, caption and number an edition so the record outlives the print itself.
Guides
Photographing printmaking supplies for listings and inventory
Photograph printmaking supplies for inventory and sale listings with repeatable lighting, labeled swatches, honest condition shots, and organized files.
Costs
Pricing linocut prints: cost per copy and how to read supply bundles
A 20 print linocut edition priced line by line, with materials per copy, burn rate tracking in grams and sheets, and a price test for supply bundles and free gifts.
Reviews
Printmaking Supplies: Date Labels and Stock Rotation
A practical routine for printmaking supplies: mark received and opened dates, rotate older stock forward, store film flat, and keep spent baths separate.
Maintenance
Printmaking workspaces: power, paper and water
Printmaking workspaces are easier to use when power stays out of wet zones, paper stays off cold walls, and a water-damage plan is ready.
Features
Six printmaking exercises that each test one variable at home
Six one-variable exercises for home printmaking, each changing one thing at a time, with a recording method and a schedule for repeating them.