What Is a Lino Print in Art? | Carved Blocks, Bold Prints

A lino print is a relief print made by carving a design into a linoleum block, inking the raised surface, and pressing paper onto it.

If you’ve ever admired a bold, graphic poster with flat colors and strong outlines, you were likely looking at a lino print. The technique, also called linocut, is one of the most accessible printmaking methods because the soft, grainless linoleum is easy to carve compared to wood. Artists cut away the areas they want to stay blank, roll ink over the remaining raised surface, and transfer the image onto paper or fabric. The result is a crisp, high-contrast image with a hand-made character that’s difficult to replicate digitally.

How Does Lino Printing Work?

Lino printing follows one straightforward logic: what stays raised gets printed; what you carve away stays blank. The process is simple enough for a beginner but offers endless room for experimentation.

You start by drawing or transferring your design onto the linoleum block. Then you carve away the areas you don’t want to print using sharp gouges and chisels—the image is reversed on the block so it prints correctly. Once carving is done, you roll a thin layer of printing ink over the raised surface with a brayer, lay paper on top, and apply pressure by hand burnishing or running it through a press. Peel back the paper and you have your first print. Because the block stays intact, you can print it many times.

• Design – Drawn directly on the block or transferred from paper.
• Carve – Remove areas meant to stay white or blank.
• Ink – Roll a thin, even layer over the raised surface.
• Print – Press paper or fabric onto the block by hand or with a press.

Why Artists Choose Lino Over Wood

Linoleum’s texture is what sets it apart from woodblock printing. The surface is smooth and grainless, so your carving tools glide through it in any direction without splitting along a grain line. That freedom makes it ideal for clean lines, curved shapes, and detailed designs that would be trickier in wood. The raised surface also holds ink evenly, which produces those signature flat, bold color areas and sharp contrasts that define the medium.

The material was patented in 1863 by Frederick Walton as a flooring product, but artists adopted it for printmaking in the early 20th century. It became prominent in Germany in the early 1900s, then spread to movements like German expressionism and Russian constructivism. Claude Flight began teaching the technique in 1925, and Picasso and Matisse experimented with linocuts in the 1950s, pushing what the medium could do.

Adding Color to a Lino Print

While a single-color print is the classic look, lino prints can be vibrant and multi-layered. You have three main options for color.

Reduction printing is a favorite among artists because it guarantees perfect alignment—each layer is printed from the same block. The trade-off is that the process is irreversible: each carving stage removes more of the block, so you can’t go back or print more of an earlier color. If you’re just starting out, multiple blocks offer more flexibility, but reduction printing is worth trying once you’re comfortable with carving.

For a more relaxed entry into this medium, many artists also experiment with printing on fabric as well as paper—both surfaces take printing ink well, though fabric may need extra drying time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Starting

The learning curve for lino printing is gentle, but a few pitfalls trip up nearly every beginner. Here’s what to watch for:

• Forgetting to reverse the design – The print mirrors your block. Carve your design in reverse or it will come out backwards.
• Using regular paint instead of printing ink – Paint dries too quickly and won’t transfer cleanly. Use proper relief printing ink.
• Rolling on too much ink – A thin, even layer gives crisp lines. Too much ink fills in the carved gaps with blobs.
• Under-carving – If you don’t carve deep enough, raised areas will still pick up ink and create smudges. Carve confidently.

One more thing to keep in mind: the tools are sharp, so work with your free hand positioned safely away from the cutting path. A slip can happen quickly, and a moment of caution beats a trip to urgent care.

If you’re ready to start your own collection, check out our roundup of the best lino prints for art lovers to see what skilled artists produce with this technique.