Linocut (also called lino print or lino printing) is a relief printmaking technique in which an image is carved into a sheet of linoleum, then inked and pressed onto paper or fabric. It belongs to the same family as the woodcut: the artist cuts away everything that should stay blank, so only the raised, uncut surface takes the ink and prints. The result is a bold, graphic image with clean shapes and strong contrast, and it is one of the most approachable ways to make original, hand-pulled prints at home or in the studio.
How a linocut is made
A linocut is built up in a few simple stages. Because the raised surface is what prints, the image transfers mirror-reversed, so any lettering has to be cut back-to-front.
- Draw or trace the design onto the lino, remembering that the finished print will come out reversed.
- Carve away the areas that should stay white using lino cutting tools such as a knife, a V-shaped tool or a U-shaped gouge.
- Roll a thin, even layer of printing ink over the block with a brayer, a small rubber roller.
- Transfer the image to paper, either by hand with a baren (a smooth burnishing tool) or by running the block through a lino press.
- Peel back the sheet to reveal the print, then repeat to pull an edition of matching images.
Small choices along the way shape the final look: the ink you choose affects colour and drying time, and the paper you print on changes how crisp and even the impression turns out.
Linocut and relief printing
Linocut is a form of relief printing, the oldest branch of printmaking, where ink sits on the top surface of a block rather than in grooves below it. Its closest relative is the woodcut, but linoleum behaves very differently from wood. Lino has no grain and does not split, so a line can curve freely in any direction, which makes flowing, organic designs much easier to cut. Lino is also softer and quicker to carve, especially when slightly warmed. The trade-off is that it wears down faster under pressure and, because it is not rigid, is harder to use for very large prints. Many printmakers move comfortably between lino, woodcut, and block printing on fabric, since the core idea stays the same.
A short history
The material itself came first. Linoleum was patented by the British inventor Frederick Walton in 1860, with further patents in 1863, as a tough floor covering made from oxidised linseed oil. Artists soon realised it was far easier to carve than a woodblock. The Czech artist Vojtech Preissig exhibited "linoleum art" in New York as early as 1911, and the German Expressionists of the early twentieth century, among them Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, embraced bold relief printing that suited lino's graphic strength.
In Britain the technique grew into a movement of its own at the Grosvenor School of Modern Art in London, founded in 1925, where the teacher Claude Flight championed the linocut between the wars. His students, including Sybil Andrews, Cyril Power, Ethel Spowers and Lill Tschudi, made dynamic, rhythmic prints that captured the energy of the modern machine age. You can read more about these pioneering lino artists and how they shaped the medium.
Two giants of modern art gave linocut lasting prestige. Henri Matisse used it for striking black-and-white illustrations in the 1940s, and Pablo Picasso, working with the printer Hidalgo Arnera in Vallauris between about 1958 and 1963, reinvented the medium with his colourful reduction linocuts. The Dutch artist M. C. Escher also worked in lino.
Colour and the reduction method
A linocut does not have to be black on white. There are two main ways to add colour. The traditional approach uses a separate block for each colour, printed one on top of the next in careful registration. The second, made famous by Picasso, is the reduction method (sometimes called a "suicide print"): the artist prints the lightest colour from a single block, then carves away a little more and prints the next colour over the top, repeating until the block is almost gone. It is a one-shot process, because once the lino is cut there is no going back, but it keeps every colour in perfect alignment. Our guide to colour linocut printing walks through both techniques step by step.
Materials and tools
Part of linocut's appeal is how little equipment it needs to begin. A typical setup includes:
- Lino sheets (the traditional grey battleship lino, or softer easy-carve blocks for beginners).
- Cutting tools, a set of V and U gouges plus a knife, ideally kept sharp and stored on a chisel rack.
- A brayer or ink roller to lay down a thin, even film of ink.
- Relief printing ink, water-based or oil-based depending on the finish you want.
- A baren for hand burnishing, or a lino press for consistent, even pressure.
- A cutting mat and good printmaking paper to protect your surface and carry the image.
Getting started with linocut
Linocut is one of the friendliest ways into printmaking: the tools are inexpensive, the process is forgiving, and a single carved block can produce dozens of prints. If you are picking up a gouge for the first time, our complete step-by-step guide for beginners covers everything from your first cut to your first pull. When you are ready to choose equipment, see how to choose a linocut press, browse our printmaking supplies, and keep this glossary of relief printing terms handy. For creative ideas, take a look at where to find inspiration for your prints.