Digital Monoprint Transfers
The Digital Monoprint is an interesting hybrid among printmaking techniques. It’s not exactly a digital print even though the image itself comes from a digital matrix. The artist’s hand is imbedded in the process, and imparts the random imperfections that give the print it’s interesting characteristics.
The two necessary ingredients for creating Digital Monoprint Transfers are printmaking paper and a precoated carrier sheet with the digital image printed on it. The photos below show a wet transfer process that uses moist paper to initiate the transfer.
The first step is to prepare the carrier sheet for digital printing. Paint one coat of Golden Digital Ground for Non Porous Surfaces onto a sheet of polyester film or acetate. Allow this to dry for several hours or overnight. Prepare the digital image and then print it on the precoated polyester. I flipped the image horizontal in the print driver so that it would remain right-reading. I found that I had to try several different printer driver settings before I settled on the one that worked best for my ink and printer combination. The bottom line is don’t be afraid to experiment.
Next, I made a wet pack to prepare the paper. I misted the front and back of the BFK Reves printmaking paper, stacked the moist papers together and wrapped them in plastic. The papers sat in their cocoon for about 45 minutes allowing them to become uniformly wet. Then, when I was ready to print, I took a sheet of paper from the wet pack and blotted it lightly on a cloth towel. I want the paper to be a nice limp damp, but without any dripping or shinny spots on the paper.
The next step is to position the precoated, printed polyester sheet, print side facing down, over the damp paper and gently roll it into place, taking care not to introduce any air pockets. Once the polyester is in place, gently burnish it until the image transfers onto the paper. Sometimes the transfers are very quick to release, and other times, I find that the black is stubborn, and I will have to give those areas extra attention.
Getting great results from transfers takes practice and good luck. I love the unexpected irregularities that bring an element of individuality to every print I make using this process.
Have a secret to share about digital monoprinting? Please leave your comments here.
Tags: , Alternative Digital Printmaking, Digital Monoprints, Transfers
June 4th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Wonderful piece - the graphic quality you get mixing the subtle color and the black figure and text is powerful. I love the technique as well - I’m experimenting a lot with image transfers, monoprint techniques, printing on alternative substrates, as you are.
Your work is inspirational to me, both in technique and subject matter. Thanks for explaining some of the technique issues and for the informative photos of the steps.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Very interesting, eye catching, super technique. What brand polyester sheet and what printer did you use. toppurplecheese@yahoo.com