Transporting "Almost Dry" Prints

If you've been following along the last few weeks, you know that I'm taking advantage of the only show that I do where the artist gets approved and can bring whatever type of art they'd like. I've test marketed wooden signs and wooden image blocks on previous weeks. This week I tested block prints.

Well, oil-based ink dries very slowly, especially since I don't have a press so I am over-inking my plates to get a clear impression. I pulled the prints on Thursday morning so after 24 hours the ink is dry enough that I'm going to risk transporting these prints. I'll sign and bag them on Saturday morning, giving the ink an extra day to dry.


[Prints sandwiched with clean newsprint]

The first step is to make sure that no two prints are touching each other. I sandwiched them between clean newsprint.


[Newsprint bundle wrapped up to move]

Next, I wrap the whole thing in a sheet of newsprint. I then transported them flat so that they wouldn't move and rub on the paper. My hope is that the newsprint breathes enough to let these prints dry while I transport them.

Since I'm writing this blog post after the fact, I can tell you that it worked. The prints didn't smudge, and they had dried enough to bag them on Saturday morning. By teardown on Sunday night, all of the prints, bagged and not bagged, had dried completely. Whew!