Comments about Speedball Press:

(If i could give this a 4 1/2 , I would. But 4 seems to little so i rounded up.)

We use this press at summer camp, with all sorts of lino blocks... lots of different hardnesses and sizes. This IS small, but the size is perfect for stationery making and we have used it to print small areas on fabric also.

The design is great in some senses: The handle is ergonomic and pretty brilliant-- easy to operate by people in a broad range of sizes and strengths. You can't really hurt yourself with it, unless you drop it on yourself-- it IS heavy. But that also means it doesn't slide around on the table, so it's very stable. It has a nice, dense, memory-foam pad, so if someone accidentally presses something too hard or of a bizarre shape, it rebounds after a day or so to be nice and flat again. We have had ours for many years, and it is holding up really well. Even in an uncontrolled overwinter environment, no rust!

BUT: Getting the paper in and out of the small space when the lid in up is slightly harder than I'd like,but using tongs or tweezers helps lift the print. And the press-able area is not entirely clear so it's best to stay in the middle of the pad (or trace around the pressed area while it's closed with a silver marker or something).

Comments about Speedball Press:

There really weren't any instructions included....but fortunatly I previously owned one of these presses. It works great with block printing, both soft and linoleum. I've tried some monotypes with plexiglass plates and monotype inks and haven't had real good luck. I've had to go over the print again with rollers or spoon to get all the ink transfered to the dampened paper. I'll try it with watercolors next--it may transfer better than the monotype inks.
All in all, it is a good little tool anyway.

Comments about Speedball Press:

I am thrilled to be able to stamp again, after having so many shoulder problems in the last 2 years.
why didn't I think of this earlier. !!!!