Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

I had used up all of my battleship gray Lino and came to dick blick to reorder. But the size I like 12x18 was out of stock. So I gambled on blick's easy-to-cut blue... glad I did.

Bottom line...
Pros: takes a tight cut, works well with soy based inks and generates a good image when done by hand. Cleaner than battleship gray Lino - no little burlap hairs.
Cons: cuts can leave a burr. Cost a little more than battleship gray but might be able to use both sides.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

Easy to cut yet holds it's edges. I use it for teaching and personal, professional use. Much easier to cut than battleship yet has the smooth edges and ability to retain detail.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

I think I may have received an old batch of this product. I have ordered it in the past for personal use and it hasn't been so brittle and crumbly. I have only used the first few pieces from the top, so it may only be part of the order that is brittle.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

My students have found this product easy to carve for 8th grade.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

Blick's Blue Easy-to-Cut is the product I've been searching for. It is much easier for students to cut into than linoleum, yet prints with a crisp line quality for a good-sized edition. It prints very well with the watersoluble, oil based inks now on the market. I first used a product like this while teaching overseas, and was thrilled when Blick started stocking this item.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

These are great cutters to work with. I'm a begineer, so I didn't want to spend a lot. I'm absolutely content with this product as it gives me all I need so far.

The blades are sharp and replce easily. It's great to store them inside the handle, but when at work I was more comfortable to keep them all at the table. The handle allows excellent grip.

I'm attaching photos of prints I made with these cutters + blick battleship grey linoleum + Blick Water-Soluble Block Printing Inks. The prints are really tiny, less than 2" each, but I was able to get sharp and accurate image with these inexpensive tools.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

This has the advantage of being thin and floppy so it's easy to cut shapes out of it. If you prefer a thin print block this is a good choice. You can cut both sides. I found both Speedball Speedy carve and Moo Carve blocks a better choice for very small print blocks however.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

I ordered two 12x18 pieces of the "Blick Blue Easy-to-Cut." I'm cutting off pieces with a utility knife to the size I need which is easy to do. Then when I carve I love the smoothness of my cuts and have gotten none of the raggedy pieces that form with the eraser-type "easy to carve" pieces. The lines I cut are quite clean and I think with practice I will become better at cutting straight lines with this material. I've made 10 prints with my current carving & it's held up perfectly through 3 or four rinses. Couldn't recommend it more highly.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

I ordered this product for reduction printing. We discovered, after cutting that they had been incorrectly cut by the manufacturer. One side was an eighth of an inch longer, which caused a problem for registering prints. Also, some blocks had a rolled edge which must have been from the edges the sheet. I was pleased with the ease of cutting.

Comments about Blick Blue Easy-To-Cut:

Have been using this for two years. It cuts much easier than traditional linoleum but doesn't crumble or tear like some of the softer materials. The very soft materials are difficult for me to get a clean line with, but Easy-to-Cut blue holds a sharp line and prints clearly. You can submerge it in water to clean if you use water soluble inks, which is a big bonus. I hope they never stop making it! Be careful what you order, though, as there is also an Easy Cut, so be sure to get the blue Easy-to-Cut blocks.