SoftCut Carving Blocks

from $7.50

SoftCut is a specially formulated carving material designed to make relief printmaking as accessible as possible. Incredibly easy to carve, it's an excellent choice for beginners, schools and printmakers who experience hand or wrist fatigue when carving traditional lino.

The light-coloured surface can be drawn on with pencil, making it easy to see your design while carving. SoftCut is double-sided, with one smooth surface and one lightly textured surface, allowing you to experiment with different printed effects.

One of SoftCut's greatest strengths is how easily it hand prints. The material transfers ink readily, making it ideal for printing with a baren, wooden spoon or other hand-printing tools. It can also be printed on a press using light pressure.

Why we love it at The Armarie Room:

If you're looking for the easiest carving material to work with, this is it. It carves effortlessly, prints beautifully by hand and is a wonderful option for beginners or anyone wanting a softer material that's kinder on the hands and wrists.

Recommendations:

  • Ideal for beginners, schools and printmakers with hand or wrist fatigue.

  • Suitable for hand printing with a baren or metal spoon.

  • Can be printed on a press using light printing pressure.

  • Draw directly onto the surface with pencil, or transfer your design by rubbing soft pencil onto the reverse of a tracing paper drawing before tracing over the image. Carbon paper is not suitable for SoftCut.

  • Suitable for both oil-based and water-based relief inks.

Size:

SoftCut is a specially formulated carving material designed to make relief printmaking as accessible as possible. Incredibly easy to carve, it's an excellent choice for beginners, schools and printmakers who experience hand or wrist fatigue when carving traditional lino.

The light-coloured surface can be drawn on with pencil, making it easy to see your design while carving. SoftCut is double-sided, with one smooth surface and one lightly textured surface, allowing you to experiment with different printed effects.

One of SoftCut's greatest strengths is how easily it hand prints. The material transfers ink readily, making it ideal for printing with a baren, wooden spoon or other hand-printing tools. It can also be printed on a press using light pressure.

Why we love it at The Armarie Room:

If you're looking for the easiest carving material to work with, this is it. It carves effortlessly, prints beautifully by hand and is a wonderful option for beginners or anyone wanting a softer material that's kinder on the hands and wrists.

Recommendations:

  • Ideal for beginners, schools and printmakers with hand or wrist fatigue.

  • Suitable for hand printing with a baren or metal spoon.

  • Can be printed on a press using light printing pressure.

  • Draw directly onto the surface with pencil, or transfer your design by rubbing soft pencil onto the reverse of a tracing paper drawing before tracing over the image. Carbon paper is not suitable for SoftCut.

  • Suitable for both oil-based and water-based relief inks.

TRIED, TESTED & PROVEN

Success in printmaking begins with the right tools and materials. At The Armarie Room, every product in our shop is carefully curated and tested in our studio. Whether you're a seasoned printmaker or just starting your creative journey, we offer quality equipment that we know and trust.

Have questions or need guidance? We're here to help—reach out anytime, and we'll be happy to assist you! You can even visit our studio to test the products firsthand and make sure they're the perfect fit for your creative needs.