USEFUL HACKS
FOR PRINTMAKERS
DIY Drying Rack
A low-cost, space-saving DIY drying system involving zero drilling and zero DIY skills.
The system pictured holds 100+ prints, uses a previously dead space, and cost under £15.
⫸ Materials:
A pressure-fit shower curtain rail
A space with two opposite walls that are less than 2 meters apart (depending on the length of your curtain rail), like an alcove or doorway.
Wooden pegs
Elastic bands
⫸ Method:
Attach pegs to the curtain pole using elastic bands (do this before you attach the curtain pole to the wall).
Fix the curtain pole in the space.
TIP: Hang your prints back-to-back to double the capacity of your drying system!
Screw-mounted SIGNATURE StampS
I sign some of my prints using a hand-carved signature stamp. For very tiny stamps that are difficult to handle, mount them on top of a screw for easier use!
Materials:
Speedball Speedy-Carve block
Double-sided tape
A screw
DIY Cardboard Flat-file
If you’re not lucky, rich or spatially privileged enough to have acquired one of those massive flat-file plan-chests that most artists lust after, here is a low-cost system that is very easy to make.
The instructions will make a storage unit capable of storing prints up to size A2, but you can easily change up the measurements if needed.
⫸ Materials:
6 x thick-ish wooden battens (60cm long)
4 x thick-ish wooden battens or planks (40cm long)
18 x thin-ish wooden battens (40cm long)
9 x sheets of corrugated cardboard (60x60cm)
Nails or screws
⫸ Method:
Make two 60 x 40m frames by attaching 2 sets of 4 of your thick-ish battens (these will be the end pieces).
Attach your thin-ish battens across your frames so it looks a bit like a ladder, leaving about a centimetre between each batten.
Stand your two end pieces up facing each other, making sure the gap between them matches the width of the cardboard shelves you’re using (60cm).
Secure the end pieces to each other across the back using the last two thick-ish 60cm battens.
Cut your cardboard shelves to size and slot them into the groves.
That’s it!
⫸ Tip
Depending on the thickness of the cardboard you use, the weight of the prints will probably cause the shelves to bow over time. To solve this; take all the shelves out every six months and put them back in upside down!
