Part III - Inking the Plate

The hardened plate is next placed on the inking bench and covered with a thin layer of ink. There are many types and colors of ink available. I prefer Charbonnel AquaWash, water based inks (http://takachpress.com/access/charbonnelAquaWash.html) but purists insist on oil base inks which are more vivid though much more difficult to clean. There is a great deal written on line on this topic There are also many ways to apply the ink. The brayer works best for me but others use stiff card stock or other materials to spread the ink on the plate and into the grooves..

After the plate is fully inked, it is then wiped with a cloth. The purpose of the wiping is to remove most of the ink from the areas that will appear lightest in the print while allowing the ink in the deeper grooves to remain and thus print darker. Again, there are many cloth choices. I have had good luck with the Akua wiping cloth (https://shop.takachpress.com/akua-wiping-fabric/) in combination with my ink choices. The wiping process is one of several points where creative choices must be made — how hard to wipe, what temperature, use of hands for wiping and many more.

Once the plate is wiped, it is ready to print.