This is how I eco print

This isn't so much a tutorial as more of a "this is how I do it" description. I am absolutely not an expert, very much a beginner, but I am learning something new every time I print another batch of papers and I am happy to share my process here.

Equipment and supplies:

roasting pan with rack

ceramic tiles

container to dip papers in

white vinegar (or alum powder (available from Amazon))

string or rubber bands

bits of copper

rusty bits (I don't always use those)

some kind of heavy weight to hold the paper bundles down

paper, anything thick enough to withstand quite a lot of water; I have used 140 lb. watercolor paper which is what is recommended in various places I have come across and I have also successfully used thinner paper - mixed media paper, drawing paper. I do not recommend regular computer paper, it is simply too thin.

leaves, flowers etc., the fresher, the better.

My roasting pan. One of the handles is missing, that's probably why it ended up at the thrift store in it's original package. It was brand new.

6" x 6" ceramic tiles from Home Depot, slightly stained from repeated use.

My bits of copper - left over from metalsmithing projects. I don't use a lot, don't know if more would have an impact on the prints I get.

The weight I use. It's left from a weight machine we took apart. My husband kept it to use for one of his projects. It fits perfectly in my roasting pan. A brick or a largish rock would work just as well.

140 lb. watercolor paper

110 lb. artist marker paper

90 lb. watercolor paper

98 lb. mixed media paper
I have used all the above papers with good results.

And here is what I do:

I cut the papers to size and score along the center line. Pay attention to the grain here, this just makes for an easier fold. To find the grain of any paper, fold over the edge of a table or just gently bend and see which direction bends easier. That's the grainline.

Next, I set up the roasting pan: I add the bits of copper (and the rusty bits) in the bottom, then add the rack.

I dip my papers into white vinegar only long enough for them to be wet.

For this session, I have used alum powder dissolved in a bucket of water (there are rules about how much, I will link to the tutorial that addresses that at the bottom of this post) and let the papers soak. In the previous session, I let them soak for an hour, this time I only did 15 minutes.

My soaking bucket. For the second session using alum, I just reused what was left from the previous session.

Next, I lay the ceramic tiles on the rack in the roasting pan, add a piece of paper and lay some leaves etc. on it. I do not soak my leaves in water, one of the tutes I read recommended that. May have to try and see if the results are different.

Anyway, moving right along: I fold the paper over the leaves and continue layering paper and leaves etc. until I run out of paper.

 I have tried the next part in two different ways: I either laid another tile on top of the paper bundle and held it together with either string or rubber bands or I just tied the papers to the tile on the bottom with no second tile on top. 

 

Here I laid a sheet of deli paper on top of the bundles (just one tile on the bottom) so there wouldn't be marks from the string I use to tie the bundles together:

I originally used tiles on top and bottom, but wanted to try something different. I had added blue Rit dye to my water and I was hoping the steam would saturate the papers and turn them a little blue. I did try that two ways as well: tile on top and tile on bottom. I do not recommend tile on top, the bottom paper was dark blue. See here:

 

After that, I add water (and whatever is left of the vinegar if using vinegar) to the roasting pan up to the level of the rack

 

Next, I add the weight on top (kind of important, the one time I did not do that, there wasn't enough contact between papers and plant material for a decent print).

 

Then I cover the whole pan with aluminum foil and turn on the burners. Reduce the heat to simmer once the water starts to bubble. I try to steam my papers for 2 - 2.5 hours.

After this, I turn off the heat, try to restrain myself from opening the foil to peak in and let everything cool for a while. Since I am using a really heavy weight, I kind of have it. It's too awkward to lift off with oven mitts. But, once it's cool enough, I remove the weight, set it off to the side and carefully lift the tile and paper bundle off the rack and either take it outside or set it on aluminum foil on the kitchen counter to let cool off further.

Eventually, I untie the string or take off the rubber bands and separate the papers and lay them out in a single layer (if I can find enough space) to dry. 

I am at the waiting stage for this session, so I will either add the pictures of the printed papers here later or write another blog post for them.

One thing I noticed, though, is that, for the first time, almost all the water boiled off. With aluminum foil covering the top, it's difficult to check during the steaming process if there is enough water left or not, but it's something I will have to check on next time. 

Here is a link to the tutorial that explains how much alum to use: tutorial.

I have written several posts about my previous eco printing sessions, each one containing pictures and explanations and, I believe, the very first one contains links to tutorials.