Arteina’s Hand Printing Press was developed specifically to address the gap between hand burnishing and a full studio press. It is not a scaled-down etching press. The design is focused on relief printing, which means the mechanism is optimised for the pressure requirements of linocut, woodcut, and xylography rather than for the extreme roller pressure needed to push paper into the incised lines of an intaglio plate. This distinction matters in practice. A full intaglio press is heavy, expensive, requires calibration, and takes up a significant portion of studio floor space. The Estampador Manual requires none of these things.

The press accommodates a range of plate sizes and paper formats, making it a flexible working tool rather than one constrained to a specific set of dimensions. For the printmaker who works in varying formats or who teaches across a range of student projects, this adaptability is a genuine practical advantage.

Polyester Lithography

The press is also designed to work with polyester plate lithography, which has become increasingly popular as an accessible entry point into the lithographic tradition. Traditional stone lithography requires a heavy limestone slab, a professional press, and specialised chemistry. Polyester plate lithography transfers the essential principles of the planographic process onto a lightweight, affordable polyester sheet that can be drawn on with litho crayons or processed with laser toner. The plates are inked with a brayer and printed under relatively light pressure. The Arteina Hand Printing Press provides exactly the type of controlled, even pressure that polyester plates require without the complexity of a traditional litho press.

About Arteina

Arteina manufactures specialist printmaking equipment from their facility in Sant Pere de Torelló, Barcelona. Their press range extends from portable hand models through to large-format motorised etching presses, and each product in the range is designed for professional use in active studio conditions. The Hand Printing Press carries the same build quality and design attention as the larger machines in the Arteina range.