Printmaking with 3D printing

Method for printmaking using a 3D printed plate

3D digital modeling of the 3D model plate for printmaking

This invention relates to a method that combines 3D printing with printmaking in artistic and typographic production. The designs are usually transferred by hand to the printing plate using traditional techniques in printmaking and typography. However, conventional methods of moving the drawing to the plate involve time, concentration, and accuracy. Moreover, due to the practical challenge of the process, the operator’s often goal is limited to reproducing just one layer of ink impression. As a result, the design compromises the original concept and the time to realise it. My method begins with the 3D digital modelling of the plate for printmaking. By doing so, I avoid the manual transferring process of the design to the plate with the traditional technique and instead produce the plate directly from my vision with 3D printing technology. The times between creating the drawing and the output of the plate are delegated to the printer. I can push my creativity regarding the complexity of the vision, knowing that the 3D printer will quickly produce almost any shape I can imagine.

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The method consists of the digital three-dimensional preparation of the plate for printmaking with a 3D digital modelling software and then the physical production of the plate through 3D printing. First, I establish the plate’s shape, relief height, size, and thickness for printmaking during 3D digital modelling. I then send the 3D model of the plate to the 3D printer according to the desired printing material. Because the process’s versatility puts the operator’s creative freedom in the foreground, the entire process is pretty fun. It is also possible to create disjoint plates that can be used separately in the printmaking process. (Patent filing pending GB 1715470.9)