Is it Worth Using Registration Pins for Linocut? A Review of Hickman Design Registration Pins
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The very short answer is a big YES. I have been using registration pins for a long time now and it has saved me time and brain power with every layer that I have printed.
Most of the prints that I create are lino reduction prints which require accurate matching up of layers to build up the image. In the early days, I would do this my placing tape on my desk for where each block and piece of paper should line up. Sometimes this worked well but on occasions the block youd slip out of place or the paper would waft and that would be that print destroyed. I even printed on layer of a print upside down once and was so annoyed (it was a square piece and I lost concentration).
Why use registration pins?
At first, it might seem like a far but I believe that the initial effort is worth it for:
perfect alignment for every layer
you can reprint the layer if there’s not a bold enough inking
saves brain power on every layer with just a small amount of prep
the pins and tabs are reusable
Testing the Pins
Before I started my latest prints, ‘The Corridor of Colour’ and ‘Winter is Coming’, Luke from Hickman Designs got in touch to see if I’d like to test out the Hickman Design Registration Pins. I was more than happy to give them a go. Below is the video showing how I used them and what I thought of them.
The Verdict
As with other pins that I have used, the Hickman Design Registration Pins result in perfect alignment for every layer. Knowing that this is the case saves brain power on every layer with just a small amount of prep required before any ink is rolled out. The pins are made from steel and the tabs are hardy flexible plastic so they are both reusable. Price wise they are very affordable and each set of 2 pins comes with 20 tabs - great of you work in limited editions like me and you can always buy more tabs to extend your edition.
What makes these pins a little different is that they come with screws so that you can secure them into a wooden base. This is ideal if you work in a regular size for every print because then you only ever have to set it up once.