Vruatrix · Krakow
Press hire
from 35 zł / hour · book 48 h ahead
Four presses in two rooms, hired by the hour, the half day, the full day or the month. Everything an experienced printmaker needs to book is on this page, and the same figures sit on the price list beside courses and editioning. If you have never etched, the Intro to Etching weekend is the kinder way in, and many people who take it come back here for press time afterwards.
The four presses
- No. 1 · etching roomLarge etching press1
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The press the studio opened with in 2014, bought secondhand and still the workhorse. Geared, so the spoked capstan turns easily under heavy pressure, and wide enough for a full sheet of our cotton paper. Book this one for editions and for anything bigger than A3.
- Bed
- 80 x 140 cm
- Drive
- Geared, capstan
- Rate
- 45 zł/h, 2 h min
- No. 2 · etching roomSmall etching press
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Arrived in 2019 to take proofing and smaller plates off the big press. Quick to set, good for A4 and A5 copper, drypoint and test prints while a plate is still in progress.
The small press is hired by the half day or full day; hourly hire at 45 zł is on the large press.
- Bed
- 50 x 90 cm
- Half day
- 150 zł
- Full day
- 260 zł
- No. 3 · relief roomRelief proofing press
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A cylinder press for lino and woodcut: the block sits on the bed, the paper is laid over and the cylinder rolls across in one even pass. Registration is simple, which is why Linocut Evenings run on it.
- Type
- Cylinder
- Blocks
- Up to A2
- Rate
- 35 zł/h
- No. 4 · relief roomCast-iron hand press
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A platen press from the 1890s: the platen comes down flat on the block rather than rolling over it. Slow, quiet and very kind to fine lino and wood engraving, where a cylinder can push the paper about.
- Made
- 1890s, cast iron
- Platen
- 45 x 60 cm
- Rate
- 35 zł/h
Induction
Everyone does the 90-minute induction once, before their first booking, however long they have been printing. It costs 80 zł, and the fee comes off your first half day.
- Press pressure. How each press is set, how to read a proof for too much or too little, and who to ask before you change it.
- Blanket order. Which blanket goes where, which way round, and how they are hung to dry after use.
- The ferric bath. Lowering and lifting plates, checking a bite, rinsing, and what never goes in.
- Grounds. Laying and drying water-washable hard ground, and taking it off again with water.
- The aquatint box. Dusting rosin for tone, fixing it on the hotplate, and booking a session.
- Cleaning down. Rollers, slabs, bed and sink, in the last 20 minutes of every booking.
Inductions run on Tuesday and Thursday at 18:00 and on Saturday at 10:00. Write to book one, and say which press you expect to use most.
Key-holder month
For printmakers who are here most weeks. 420 zł a month buys 16 hours of press time on any press, Sunday access from 12:00 to 18:00 when the studio is closed to everyone else, and a plan-chest drawer for plates, proofs and paper.
Hours beyond the sixteen are charged at the normal rate: 45 zł an hour on the large etching press, the half-day or full-day rate on the small press, and 35 zł an hour on the relief and hand presses.
Booking and studio rules
- Press time is booked by email at least 48 hours ahead, with the press, the date and the hours you want.
- Same-day bookings are possible when a press is free, as long as you ask before 10:00.
- The last 20 minutes of every booking are for cleaning down, and they count as part of your time.
- Your own inks are welcome if they are oil-based and labelled with your name.
- The etching room is for ages 16 and over.
- Pay by bank transfer in advance or by card at the studio.
- The studio is closed on Mondays, when the etching bath is checked and the press blankets are washed.
Ready to book? Here is what to include when you write, so the reply can confirm everything at once.
Consumables
Copper and paper are kept in stock, so you can arrive with a drawing and leave with a plate. The ferric bath and the water-washable hard ground come free with any press booking.
| Item | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Copper plate, 1.2 mm, bevelled | A5 | 58 zł |
| Copper plate, 1.2 mm, bevelled | A4 | 108 zł |
| Cotton etching paper, 300 gsm, at cost | 56 x 76 cm | 24 zł |
| Aquatint box session | per session | 30 zł |
| Ferric bath and hard ground | any booking | included |