Cloths that earn their place beside the brayer
This pack is for the plain jobs that keep a print table workable. It gives you reusable cloths for lifting excess ink from brayers, wiping gouges and V-tools after carving, cleaning fingers between colour changes, and tidying the bench before the next pull.
In linocut and block-print sessions, a cloth that is soft, absorbent and washable is worth keeping close. Cotton wipers are common for water-based ink, while denser cloths cope better with oil-based ink when a longer wipe is needed. The best cloth in a studio is usually the one that takes ink off fast without scratching the block or leaving lint on paper.
- Reusable cloth pack for printmaking work
- Useful for carving, inking and clean-up stages
- Suitable for studio tables, school rooms and pop-up print stations
Sizes and pack make-up for print sessions
The pack can be supplied in small or larger working sets, depending on how many hands are in the room and how many stations are running at once. For a family session, a few cloths per table may be enough. For a teacher workshop or team building day, it helps to have extra cloths set aside for each ink colour and each press station.
Typical cloths are cut to a practical handling size so they can be folded, turned and separated during a busy class. A common working size is around 30 cm by 30 cm, though larger wiping cloths are useful beside a press, and smaller pieces are handy for detail cleaning around carved lines. Cloth weight and weave matter too, because a loose weave can shed fibres into fresh ink.
- Common sizes: 30 cm x 30 cm, 40 cm x 40 cm, or mixed sets
- Available as single-use working sets or repeat-use bundles
- Best chosen with the number of stations in mind
Where the cloth pack fits into lino and block print work
This is a studio support item, not an artwork piece, and it earns its keep in the middle of the process. It suits beginner carving sessions, edition printing, press demos and school pop-up workshops where ink needs to be controlled before it reaches the paper edge or the shirt cuff. It is also useful in family print sessions where younger hands tend to pick up ink from every surface.
On a longer print run, a cloth pack helps with registration marks, plate edges and quick changes between colours. When a block is being cleaned between pulls, the cloth can lift residue from the lino or soft-cut surface without digging into the cut lines. That matters when you are trying to keep a clean edition and the next impression needs the same tone as the first.
- Works well beside barens, hand presses and platen areas
- Helpful for edition printing and colour changes
- Suitable for schools, studios and venue-based workshops
Care after ink and wash-up
Reusable cloths last longer when they are folded out flat after a session and not left bunched with wet ink in a bag. Water-based ink usually lifts well in warm water with mild soap, while oil-based ink may need a proper wash cycle and a bit more patience. A separate cloth set for dark inks and light inks can keep the lighter one from turning grey too quickly.
If the cloths are used around varnish, tape or solvent-based materials, they should be handled with care and washed according to the ink and cleaner used in the studio. Air drying is best where possible, because high heat can shorten the life of the fibres and make the cloths feel rough. In a print room with regular classes, a rotation of clean, partly used and retired cloths keeps the work moving without fuss.
- Remove the ink before it sets hard in the fibres
- Dry flat or on a line where possible
- Keep separate sets for different ink colours if needed
Tell us before you order
For a workshop pack, the practical details come first. Confirm the number of cloths needed, the size mix, the preferred fabric type, and whether the cloths are for water-based ink, oil-based ink or both. It also helps to say if the set is for hand printing, press printing or mixed studio use, because each setup puts a different load on the cloth.
If the pack is going into a school room or a travelling setup, tell us how many print stations will be running and whether the cloths must be easy to carry, easy to wash, or able to handle repeated use across several sessions. If you need them for a class with many first-time printers, a slightly larger count can make the table work better because one cloth tends to travel from hands to tools to rollers very quickly.
- Confirm cloth quantity and size mix
- State the ink type and printing method
- Note whether the pack is for studio, school or travelling use
Workshop specs at a glance
The Cleanup Cloth Pack is a practical consumable for linocut and block-print sessions in Woodstock, Cape Town and across workshop venues. It fits naturally into sessions that use soft-cut blocks, lino blocks, brayers, carving tools, hand pressing and edition work, where clean handling keeps the paper and tools in better shape.
For venue setup work, the cloths are easy to sort into trays or table packs before students arrive. They are also useful as a reserve layer under ink trays or beside a press stand when the class is moving quickly and the table needs to be reset between colours. A tidy cloth stack often saves a bigger clean-up later, especially in rooms where several people are printing at once.
- Reusable cloths for studio and mobile print sessions
- Suitable for wiping tools, hands, rollers and work surfaces
- Useful across beginner, student, family and team workshops
Key facts
| Product type | Reusable cleanup cloth pack for printmaking |
|---|---|
| Typical sizes | 30 cm x 30 cm, 40 cm x 40 cm, or mixed sets |
| Use with | Lino, soft-cut blocks, brayers, barens and hand presses |
| Ink compatibility | Water-based ink and oil-based ink |
| Care | Warm wash, mild soap, line dry or flat dry |
| Best for | Studios, schools, travelling workshops and edition printing |
