Always Ready to print!
When you're in the mood to print, the Gelli Arts™ printing plates are ready for you to use! Not only are they easy to clean, they are easy to take care of. Store them at room temperature and use them over and over again.
GETTING STARTED
We have gathered some tips and instructions to help you care for your Gelli plate and get the most out of your prints. Please take a moment to read these recommendations below or print the Instructions and Care PDF for easy reference as you get started.
STORAGE
- We recommend keeping the original pieces of clear plastic film and replacing them on the gel plate for storage. There will be air pockets when you replace the film. We recommend smoothing out as much air as possible. Take care not to trap any debris or paint residue between the mylar and gel plate.
- Our clamshell package is designed to be used for storing your gel plate. The plate can also be stored on a smooth tray or piece of glass. Always keep your gel printing plate laying flat on a smooth, clean surface.
- We recommend keeping the label with instructions that comes packaged with your gel plate, but do not leave directly in contact with the gel plate.
THE BASICS
- We recommend using acrylic paints. It is not necessary to clean the plate between prints, unless desired. Paint residue can contribute to surprising and pleasing results.
- There is no need to clean your plate between prints, but it is recommended to clean your plate before storage and remove all paint residue at that time.
- We do not recommend using dyes when printing on the plate (such as rubber stamp inks, spray inks and fabric dyes) as the gel will absorb some of the dye and become permanently stained. However, stains will not affect printing performance.
EASY CLEAN UP
- Acrylic paints can be easily cleaned from the plate with mild soap and water. Rinse and gently pat the gel printing plate dry with a paper towel.
- Gel hand sanitizers (such as Purell®, etc.) can be used to remove paint residue on the plate. Simply rub onto the plate and wipe clean with a paper towel.
- Baby wipe products can also be used to clean your gel printing plate.
MAKING YOUR MARK
- Fun textures are easy to find ... to get started, try using bubble wrap, plastic grids, foam stamps, stencils, leaves and string to create interesting imagery on your plate.
- For hand drawn mark-making, use soft-tipped tools like paint brushes, cotton tipped swabs or soft rubber-tipped tools.
- Do not use pointy tools such as pencils or toothpicks. They may scratch the gel plate surface and leave permanent marks.
ESSENTIAL TO KNOW
- The gel printing plate has an extremely sensitive surface and will imprint any texture it is sitting upon or covered with.
- Do not cover your gel printing plate with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Also, do not place your gel plate on these materials. These wraps will wrinkle and imprint their texture on your gel printing plate.
- The gel printing plate is made of a unique plastic that contains mineral oil. The gel plate will leach a small amount of harmless mineral oil when left sitting on an absorbent surface.
- We recommend you protect your work surface by placing your gel printing plate on a smooth, flat, non-porous barrier such as a Teflon® sheet, baking tray or piece of glass.
- Do not place your gel printing plate directly on a surface that may absorb the harmless mineral oil, like a wooden table.
- The gel printing plate may exude a small amount of harmless mineral oil when exposed to warm environments. This is normal and, when wiped off, will not affect printing performance.
- Keep away from open flame and other heat sources. The gel printing plate is for art and craft use. It is not a toy.
Item #: V042
Geli Arts Plate - A Great Product
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After messing around making gelatin plates with unflavored gelatin I found this product and just love it! I'm a printmaker and collage artist who usually works with oil based inks and a press, so this is a great low tech alternative to use in your home studio. The smooth surface is easy to work with and I've applied acrylic paints, fabric paints and water soluble printing inks to it with great success. It is super easy to clean up. I now have two of the largest size and can put them next to each other to create a larger plate. The cost seems a little high at first but when you consider the cost of unflavored gelatin, it pays for itself in no time. Great product!
I ordered the larger Gel Printing Plate, which arrived quickly and in good order. The plate comes in a convenient plastic ‘clamshell’ case with thin plastic protective sheets on each side of the actual plate itself which is 1 cm thick and not at all sticky or wet to the touch. I placed it on a sheet of heavy plastic before using it.
It is suggested that acrylic paints and oil paints be used with the Gel Printing Plate, and the accompanying notes also mention that fabric dyes, spray inks and stamp inks can be used but may permanently stain the plate. This will not affect future printing results however.
The plate is easy to clean with cold water between prints and seems quite robust when sponged with tissue or paper towelling, unlike a natural gelatine plate which can easily be damaged by too heavy a hand with the cleaning. However, because of the nature of the plate, tissues disintegrate quickly and leave residue, but paper towelling seems to do the job well. Oil paints can apparently be removed with baby oil and a gel hand sanitizer can also be used to remove paint residue.
I tried four differed types of black acrylic paint, India ink and a black Block Printing ink and I also used two different types of paper, ordinary printing paper and a heavyweight shiny marker paper for my tests. I found that all the acrylic paints dried too quickly to make good prints with the Gel Printing Plate. I tried using more paint and also spraying the plate with water, but the print was never really acceptable on either types of paper. If the paint was thinly spread with a brayer on the plate, the paper stuck to the ink and it was difficult to peel the paper off the plate and although I had placed the plate onto the heavy plastic to keep it steady, pulling the paper off the plate lifted the whole plate away from the base so that two hands were needed for the job. If a heavier layer of paint was applied, the print was indistinct, although interesting patterns appeared from the releasing suction. The India ink did not produce a good print. The Block printing ink was much easier to use and produced much better results. It was a bit tricky to find exactly the right quantity of ink to use, but half a teaspoon on the 8” x 8” plate seemed about right.
The Gel Printing Plate gave very good results with hard plastic texture or rubbing plates and also with commercial rubber stamps. Very fine detail was captured with both these methods. Of course as with a natural gelatine plate you cannot use sharp pointy tools to make marks on the plate, but paint brushes and rubber tipped tools work well. I like to use natural materials such as pressed grasses and leaves for my work and while these items did make quite good prints, the stickiness of the printing plate combined with the Block Printing ink tended to make it difficult to remove the vegetation and small seeds and leaves were often left on the plate. Using metal forceps to remove the debris posed problems of possible scratches to the plate, so I would advise investing in a pair of plastic tweezers if plant material is used. A gelatine plate seems to release the plant matter more easily and even if it is scratched, it is simple to melt the gelatine and set it again. The notes with the Gel Printing Plate say that the surface is extremely sensitive and will imprint any texture that it is sitting on such as plastic wrap or even waxed paper.
Even with the easy availability of the Gel Printing Plate for a quick printing session, I think that I would still choose to use a natural gelatine plate for preference. I really do think it makes a better print especially with vegetation and I can make a plate as big as I like. If you are more accustomed to using less delicate items to print with, the Gelli Gel Printing Plate may be ideal for you.
I took a gelatin screen printing class from one of the contributors to this magazine. The class opened a new door for me and I was really excited to try it at home. Then disaster struck. My carefully homemade gelatin came out of the pan in a big gloppy mess all over my studio. A few days later I saw the add for the Gelli Arts printing plates and purchased them that day. I have made incredible prints with them. The plate is ready whenever I am, the detail is great, and clean up is really easy. My only complaint is that I like to work large and I want a bigger plate!
The Gelli Arts Gel printing plate is definitely an easy and fun way to monoprint on paper or fabric. While it seems relatively expensive, compared to either a regular old gelatin plate or a plate of glass or plexiglass for monoprinting, there is something that is undeniably fun and cool about using the Gelli Arts "plate". It is as simple as can be, and I had good results printing on fabric using Pebeo Setacolor transparent fabric paints rather than acrylic paints (I prefer fabric paints because they change the "hand" of the fabric less). Way less hassle than making gelatin plates - no trying to find level space in the fridge, or worrying about whether they will or won't set up properly - although also without the serendipitous factor of the decaying gelatin surface that always adds a certain excitement to the process. One of the strongest points in their favor is the ease of clean-up - just wipe with a baby-wipe or wash clean, cover the surface with the plastic film that comes with it, and pop it back into its clamshell to await your next surge of creativity.
I wish I had bought the larger size for printing on fabric. Probably at some point I will break down and get that one as well. My advice: buy the larger size, if you are printing on fabric, and experiment the heck out of all you can do with it!
I was skeptical about how effective gelli would be in producing a monoprint. Boy was I pleasantly surprised. I have used plexiglass and gelatin prints and all sorts of permutations but this is by far the most fun. It is easy to clean and I love all the different impressions I can make. It is so effortless. My only regret is that I bought a 6x6 instead of the larger gelli. Oh well, I guess I will have to purchase the larger one two. I highly recommend this product.
Gelli Arts™ Gel Printing Plates
4.67
When you’re in the mood to print, the Gelli Arts™ printing plate is ready for you to use!
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