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Have you ever tried to print a linocut with multiple layers and nearly gave up because you struggled to line your paper and block up correctly each time? Rather than wasting time and paper, I highly recommend upping your printmaking game with Ternes-Burton register pins and tabs! These little guys have significantly reduced my stress when printing by ensuring your paper is always in the same place and won’t shift.
Watch me show you how to use Ternes Burton register pins and tabs on my YouTube channel.
They’re easy to use, although they do require a bit of prep time. It’s worth it because it’ll save time and lead to far more successful prints. They come with two parts: pins and tabs. The pins are made of metal or plastic, and you can purchase in different heights, depending on how think your blocks generally are. The stripping tabs are made of plastic and kind of feel like plastic bread tags. The tabs have a round hole and an oval hole.
When you order, you only need a few pairs of Ternes-Burton pins. You can use as little as a pair of two. You’ll want quite a few tabs, because they stay taped to each piece of paper until you’re done all layers. The company sells them in sets of 100 – 500+ tabs.
Prep your board
Almost all of my prints are the same size – 8” x 10”, so I have created a couple boards and use them for nearly everything I print. I’ve set up pins on a piece of melamine board, and another board on my baby press.
Start by measuring the height and width of both your carved block and your paper. Subtract the width of the block from the width of your paper, and divide that by half. That’s the blank border you’ll want on each side, if you want your block centred. Then do the same for the height. On my baby press, I’ve drawn where my block should be placed onto an 8X10 piece of paper, using those measurements, and taped that paper down.
Next, I take another 8×10 piece of paper and lay it on the taped down paper, aligning all sides. Then I take a stripping tab and lay it along the top of the paper, half on and half off. That allows me to see where it’s best to place the pins. Use two pins, one towards the right and one towards the left side of the top of the paper. I match up the pins to the round hole in the tabs, and tape the pins in place. I used several pieces of masking tape since I don’t want the pins to move.
Get your papers set up
Once your pins are in place, you’ll need to attach the Ternes-Burton stripping tabs to your paper. You’ll need to use two tabs. I simply lay the piece of paper, with the side you want to print facing down, aligning it to the marks I made for the paper on the board. Then I attach the tab to the pin, and tape the tab to the paper. I use removable scotch tape. Some people use masking tape, but I’ve had issues with it ripping delicate paper in the past. I usually prep all my papers with tabs before I move onto the printing step.
Now print!
You have your Ternes-Burton pins and tabs ready, now you can finally print. I place the inked block where I had marked a spot for it, attach the tabs to the pins, and lay the paper down. I run it through the press or use a baren. Then I lift the paper and remove the tabs from the pins. Keep the tabs taped in place until you finish your final layer.
It’s as easy as that! The pins and tabs keep your paper in exactly the same spot, ensuring excellent registration.
Other lino supplies
If you want to learn more about the lino supplies I recommend, check out all my lino and block printing blog posts.
