Print & Packaging
This Tiny Printing Press Is 3D-Printed—and Free
Open Press Project shares free non-commercial plans for a working mini etching press that fits on a table and prints far more than novelty stamps.
A proper etching press is heavy, expensive and generally not something you casually tuck beside the toaster. The Open Press Project shrinks the mechanism into a small working press whose main parts can be made on a 3D printer.
The project shares free plans for non-commercial use. The original open press has a 7.5 × 23 cm printing surface and can handle intaglio and relief techniques including drypoint, etching, linocut, collagraph and blind embossing. See how to print the press.
Tiny does not mean pretend
This is the lovely bit: artists are making proper small prints with it. The press is designed to apply controlled pressure across a plate and damp paper, just in a much narrower format than a studio machine.
Open Press Project also runs exchanges and exhibitions around work made on 3D-printed presses. The machine has become the centre of an actual printmaking community rather than another abandoned STL.
What you need to build one
The FAQ says an FDM or FFF printer with at least 150 mm available in one axis should do the job, with PLA recommended. The open-source version uses mostly printed parts to keep sourcing accessible. You will still need the correct hardware, a suitable blanket, careful assembly and some patience getting even pressure.
The free files are non-commercial. You can print a press for yourself, but you cannot start selling copies without permission.
The first plate can be rubbish
Printmaking has its own learning curve: ink amount, damp paper, plate depth and pressure all matter. That is not a flaw in the little press; it is printmaking being printmaking.
Start with a simple drypoint or Tetra Pak plate and cheap paper. Once the pressure is even, move to better stock. The whole project is a brilliant example of digital fabrication making an old craft physically accessible again.