for relief prints I don’t use blankets at all (when I run my blocks under a roller)
just a good old piece of solid paper board (like illustration board) or a nice smooth piece of 1/8 inch birch plywood set on top of the paper on the block.
The pressure gauges on my press are set so that really the roller is using it’s own weight on top of the block and board to transfer the ink. You don’t need to push the paper into the block like you would with an intaglio print.
Some people use one blanket on top of the block and paper for relief printing.

I never use press blankets with my press (I do woodcuts). I was taught to lay your paper down on the bed, ink your block, and then put your block down face-first on the paper. Then crank it through the press. No blankets necessary!

Jen

Interesting that so few use blankets!

I work primarily with linocuts with Mipolan Linoleum, so perhaps it is different for me. However, when I was at college, we used blankets and put the plate down and the paper on top.

After I got my press and talked to Mel Whelan, he convinced me to try making templates for all of my pieces (out of 1/4″ board) and putting the piece inside (face up), and then the paper on top (which is great for registration and also for helping the white areas to stay white). Then I use their combo of wool blanket and then a rubber type blanket (http://whelanpress.com/etching_blankets/index.html), which helps the roller to climb the template block.

Anyway, that’s how I do it!

Shawn

I have used only the woven blankets for both linocut and intaglio work. Does anyone have a personal review of the use of the rubber blankets that I’ve been told might be good for collagraph printing? Thanks in advance!
Donna