Choosing which Type of Lino is Right for Your Project

There are lots of different types of lino to choose from. Read on for guidance on which lino could be right for you and your project (or scroll to the bottom of this post to watch a video).

Traditional Lino

• Traditional lino has a hessian backing.
• It is made from wood flour and linseed oil and so is biodegradable. 
• It has a shelf life and is best used fresh - don't buy in bulk and store for years. This lino is best used within a few months or it can go brittle and hard to carve.
• Fresh lino is not very hard to cut but it requires sharp tools and is a bit harder to cut than most vinyl blocks. 
• Cut pieces can be snapped off to create sharp edges. Very fine detail can be achieved.
• Doesn't stretch at all.
• Traditional lino can be can with a scalpel but it's tricky to cut intricate shapes so it's not ideal for jigsaw linocut.
• Quite easy to see where you've cut. The surface can also be stained to make seeing your cuts even easier.
• Lino can be drawn on with a pencil, blue carbon paper, red carbon paper or permanent pencils.

Transparent Block

• Not biodegradable.
• This block's transparency makes it really handy for tracing designs and layering blocks.
• Quite stiff and not soft to cut.
• Cut pieces cannot be snapped off. 
• It can be tricky to see where you've carved.
• Quite easy to cut with a scalpel.
• Can be drawn on with red carbon paper or permanent pencils.

Softcut

• Not biodegradable.
• Easy to carve. This block is very soft.
• It stretches a little, especially at the edges.
• Cut pieces do not snap off.
• Very easily cut with a scalpel.
• Quite tricky to see where you've carved.
• Can be drawn on with pencil, red carbon paper or permanent pencils.

Japanese Vinyl