Custom woodblock stamps with lasers: More creativity with less effort

As one of the oldest printing techniques, woodblock printing is a form of relief printing. It can create beautiful designs on wallpaper, fabric, maps and many other materials.

Figure 1: A laser cuts away the impression areas of the woodblock to create negative space in the art. Source: Epilog LaserThe raised areas of the wood in woodblock printing create the design to be printed. To create the woodblock stamp, a design is carved, etched or formed onto the wood. The woodblock is then used like a stamp, wherein colors are pressed into the raised areas of the wood while the impression areas are negative space.

Artists and makers often use woodblock printing to handcraft beautiful and intricate designs, but without spending hours hand drawing. It also permits them to use the same design elements multiple times with consistent results.

Although the results are arguably worth the time and effort, productivity can be slow with woodworking tools. However, woodblock stamps can be quickly produced with the accuracy of laser cutting. Artists can achieve better edge definition on the design by using laser printing. And they can create more stamps quickly, which frees them up to spend more time creating.

All kinds of wood can be used for woodblock printing, including plywood, cherrywood, poplar, linden and hardwood. Lasers provide crisp edges regardless of the kind of wood used, but hardwood is the most durable wood under lasers.

Using a laser to create a woodblock for printing is simple. First, the drawn design needs to be converted into a file. The design file can be as basic as a scan of a hand drawing. If needed, users can invert colors to create a monochromatic color scheme. The design should be highlighted, and the negative space should appear shadowed. Next, the design should be flipped from the left to the right so it is not mirrored and will appear as it should when used. The wood block then needs to be cut to the desired stamp size and the design file can then be loaded into the laser software. Once the woodblock is placed inside, the laser can be activated and instructed to etch away everything in black. In just a few minutes, the stamp will be ready.

Makers can use woodblock printing to create beautiful art or lettering. The laser etched stamps create perfect lines, shapes and letters quickly and easily. Artists can achieve precision results with the repeatability of woodblock art.

It also allows them to quickly make customized letterpress gifts. Or the woodblock stamp itself makes a great gift – a return address stamps makes a great gift idea for newlyweds and new home owners.

Woodblock printing is a beautiful art form. Utilizing laser etching to create woodblock stamps not only frees up an artist’s time, but provides them more time to be creative. Check out Epilog Laser to learn more about the vast potential of lasers.