Inking and Pulling

Part of Printing

The moment-by-moment technique of applying ink to type and pressing paper against it to produce a printed sheet.

Why This Matters

Every other step in the printing process — casting type, composing text, building the press — exists to enable this one: inking the form and pulling the impression. The quality of every book or document a community produces depends on how well this skill is executed, sheet by sheet and run by run.

Inking and pulling is repetitive but not mechanical. Each sheet requires attention. Ink film, impression pressure, paper alignment, and paper dampness all vary and all affect the result. A skilled printer makes dozens of micro-adjustments per hour that a novice does not notice — and the difference between their output is visible in every line of type.

In a low-resource environment, skill at inking and pulling also conserves materials. A skilled printer wastes fewer sheets to misprints, uses ink more efficiently, and extends the life of type by applying correct impression pressure rather than hammering letterforms into paper.

The Mechanics of Letterpress Impression

Letterpress printing works by pressing an inked raised surface (the type) against paper with controlled force. The ink transfers from the type face to the paper surface at the moment of contact.

Three variables govern every impression:

Ink film thickness: The layer of ink on the type face. Too thick: ink squeezes out around letter edges (bleed). Too thin: inadequate transfer (weak impression). Correct: an even, thin film that covers the type face completely.

Impression pressure: The force applied by the platen pressing paper against type. Too much: ink squeezes, type embeds deeply into paper (showing a relief impression on the back), type wears rapidly. Too little: incomplete ink transfer, uneven coverage. Correct: just enough to transfer ink cleanly with the slightest kiss of paper to type.

Paper contact uniformity: The entire printing surface must contact the paper simultaneously and uniformly. Uneven packing under the tympan, warped type, or debris under the form causes some areas to print and others not.

Preparing the Ink

Before pulling any impression, the ink must be properly charged and distributed. Refer to the Ink Consistency article for detailed testing methods.

On a hand press, ink is applied to the type using either:

Ink balls: Traditional leather-covered balls filled with wool or hair, worked in pairs. The printer inks both balls on an ink slab, then dabs them alternately across the entire form surface to deposit an even film. The balls must be charged with ink from the slab between every impression (or every two to three impressions for small forms).

Composition rollers: A cylinder of composition (hide glue and molasses) or India rubber mounted on a handle. The roller is charged on an ink disc attached to the press, then rolled across the form to deposit ink. More efficient than balls for long runs, more consistent in application, but requires more infrastructure to manufacture.

For most low-tech print shops, rollers are preferred once the composition material is available. Ink balls are the fallback and are adequate for intermittent or small-volume printing.

Positioning Paper: The Tympan and Frisket

Paper must be positioned identically on every sheet to ensure all printed text falls in the same place. On a hand press, this is achieved with a tympan (a frame with stretched cloth or paper that holds the sheet) and points (small sharp pins that the paper is pressed onto to register its position).

The frisket is a thin hinged frame that folds over the tympan once the sheet is placed. Its cutout window protects unprinted areas of the paper from contact with inky surfaces during the impression.

Setting up registration:

1. Lay the paper on the tympan.
2. Adjust the points so they pierce the paper margins at consistent positions.
3. Fold the frisket down and verify the cutout aligns with the form.
4. Pull a test impression and check that the printed text falls correctly centered or margined on the sheet.
5. If margins are wrong, adjust point position and retest.

Once registration is set, do not move the points during the run.

The Inking Motion

Using Ink Balls

1. Work both ink balls on the charged slab with light circular strokes until each ball holds an even film.
2. Bring the balls together with a light tapping motion to even out the ink between them.
3. Dab the balls across the form surface — use a firm, decisive contact, not a rubbing motion. Rubbing shifts type.
4. Cover the entire form surface systematically: start at one corner, move to the opposite corner in a series of overlapping dabs, then cross in the perpendicular direction.
5. Inspect the type: it should appear uniformly dark without filled-in counters.
6. Return to the slab to recharge after each impression.

The inking motion should be rhythmic and confident. Tentative, light dabbing leaves uneven ink; heavy rubbing disturbs the form.

Using a Roller

1. Charge the roller by running it over the ink disc several times, turning the roller slightly between passes to ensure even pickup.
2. Roll the roller over the form with light, even pressure in one direction only (away from the operator, or toward — establish a consistent direction).
3. Lift and return to the start position without rolling back over the form.
4. Make a second pass in the same direction if coverage looks uneven.
5. Inspect: uniform dark coverage, no pooling around type bases, no gaps.

Pulling the Impression

“Pulling” refers to operating the press mechanism to bring paper and type into contact. On a screw press or lever press, this involves folding the tympan down onto the form, then applying pressure.

Sequence for a Hand Screw Press

1. Ink the form (as above).
2. Place a sheet of paper on the tympan, register on the points.
3. Fold the frisket down over the paper.
4. Roll the carriage (if the press uses a sliding bed) so the form is under the platen, or lower the tympan onto the form.
5. Apply pressure by turning the screw (clockwise) until resistance is felt, then apply one additional firm push to ensure full contact. Do not force — correct impression pressure should not require great effort.
6. Release pressure by backing off the screw.
7. Lift the frisket and tympan, remove the printed sheet.
8. Lay the sheet face up to dry.

Feeling the Impression

A correctly set press provides tactile feedback. The moment of full contact has a distinct feel — a slight resistance that gives smoothly, then stops. Over-pressure continues to compress past this point, bending or cracking under the platen.

With each impression, the printer learns to feel when the pressure is right. This sense develops quickly with practice and becomes reliable after fifty to one hundred impressions. Verifying with a test sheet — checking that the back of the paper shows no deep embossing, that type does not show excessive wear — confirms the tactile judgment.

Handling Printed Sheets

Remove printed sheets carefully, gripping the corner and lifting smoothly to avoid smearing. Lay each sheet face-up on a flat surface to dry. Do not stack wet sheets on top of each other — ink will offset (transfer to the back of the sheet above).

Use a drying rack (horizontal strings or wires) to hang sheets by their corners with wooden clip-pegs if space allows. Sheets dry faster when air can circulate on both sides.

For high-output runs, set sheets out in a grid pattern on the floor or table, slightly overlapping at the margins (not over printed areas). Once the first sheets are dry (15–30 minutes for oil-based ink in warm conditions, up to an hour in cold or damp conditions), they can be stacked and the drying area reused.

Common Problems During Inking and Pulling

Uneven inking: One corner or edge of the form receives more ink than others. Cause: uneven ball charge, or roller inconsistency. Fix: recharge more carefully and cover the entire form surface methodically.

Ghost images: Faint secondary impressions from the previous sheet transferring back to the form. Cause: paper re-contacts the form during removal. Fix: lift paper cleanly straight up before folding back the tympan; do not drag the sheet across the form.

Sheets shifting on the points: Paper not fully seated on registration points before pulling. Fix: press paper firmly onto points before folding the frisket. Consider dampening the paper very slightly to make it more pliable and less likely to resist the points.

Ink build-up in counters: Over time, ink accumulates in the enclosed spaces of letters. Between every 50–100 impressions, lift a sheet without inking and pull a dry impression to “blot” excess ink. Then re-examine the form and clean any buildup with a stiff brush.

Paper tearing on the points: Points too sharp, paper too fragile, or operator pulling the sheet off at an angle. Trim small reinforcement tabs from waste paper and adhere over point positions to reinforce the hole area.

Building a Consistent Rhythm

Professional pressmen worked at a tempo — inking, pulling, removing, stacking — that allowed them to produce 200–250 impressions per hour on a well-set hand press. This rhythm is not rushed; it is the natural pace of a practiced sequence where each motion flows into the next without hesitation.

For a beginning printer, establishing any consistent rhythm is more important than matching historical speeds. Even at 50–80 sheets per hour, a hand press produces meaningful output. As muscle memory develops — when the sequence of ink-place-fold-pull-release-remove becomes automatic — speed increases naturally.

The goal is not speed but uniformity. Every sheet in a run should be indistinguishable from every other. When this standard is met, the printer has genuinely mastered inking and pulling.