Open Press Project

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Design

The Open Press Project is Making the World’s Smallest 3D-Printed Press Even Tinier

A few years ago, Cologne-based designers Martin Schneider and Dominik Schmitz noticed that access to intaglio printmaking resources was limited because presses are prohibitively expensive, require lots of space, and are often located in private workshops or institutions. To make the practice more accessible, the artists launched the world’s first 3D-printed etching press in 2018, and the Open Press Project was born. Schneider and Schmitz’s miniature, open-source, fully-functional model allowed people to download and assemble the machine themselves at a fraction of the cost of a traditional press—and a fraction of the size!

Now, Schneider and Schmitz are scaling up by scaling way down in a new Kickstarter campaign that launches the smallest press they could make. Complete with ball bearings and a stainless steel roller, “it can be used for any intaglio and relief technique, like drypoint, etching, engraving, or linocuts and woodcuts of up to 13 millimeter thickness.” Learn to make your own press and tiny prints on the project’s website and join its growing community on Instagram.

 

Design

A 3D-Printed Press Brings Printmaking to the People

Last year, Martin Schneider rolled out the Open Press Project, which provided printing plans for the world’s first fully functional 3D-printed printmaking press, and was downloaded by more than 12,000 people. As a follow-up to that successful open-source endeavor, Schneider is offerings folks who don’t have their own 3-D-printing abilities the option to get a press through a new Kickstarter campaign. Traditionally, printing presses are prohibitively expensive and extremely heavy. Schneider has managed costs in part by shrinking the press down to a 5.7 by 2.95 inch printing area, but includes the usual steel roller and woven blanket found on a full-sized press. The cost of each petite press available through Open Press Project’s Kickstarter comes out to around $60. You can follow the project on Instagram, and download plans to use with your own 3D-printer on the Open Press Project website. (via Colossal Submissions)