In relief printing, you carve the negative of an image into a printing plate (or matrix). The raised areas hold ink that can be pressed into paper. Traditionally, printmakers used wood blocks, or more recently linoleum flooring (which is just the right softness) to create matrices by carving away from the desired image. I’m definitely giving linoleum a go, but I am far more interested in the creative potential that 3d printing holds.
9 Jun 2026
First Experiments in 3D Printing Relief Matrices
It only took a couple of beers, and 20 minutes of print time for this to finally happen. Maybe you are familiar with linocut printmaking. This is similar, except instead of carving up a block of lino, we’re experimenting with making printing plates out of plastic on a 3d