We printers put ink on paper. Lots of ink. A great deal of that ink we mix ourselves. So we know that mixing & matching color is critical to a good printing. I print everyday. And I wrestled with color matching problems routinely—until I built a tool that solves many of these problems, the Ink Dial™.
The Ink Dial cleanly and precisely dispenses any amount of ink, without weighing, “eyeballing” or guesswork. It allows color mixes to be accurately repeated, thus reducing waste, time & money. It's not just a tool but a simple color mixing system that allows more control over this essential part of printing.
Based on my success with the Ink Dial in my own studio, I want to get it out into the world. Since it is so easy to use, it will prove incredibly useful to the teaching & practice of printmaking & letterpress printing, handy in the classroom, the artist’s studio, and to beginning & experienced printers alike practicing these disappearing crafts.
The Rewards & the Artists
As a letterpress printer, I particularly enjoy printing the work of lettering artists. It is challenging work and they are often the most demanding, yet interesting clients.
So with two simple notions in mind (lettering & color) I approached 15 internationally known artists whose work involves lettering in some form or fashion for help with the rewards portion of this project.
Based solely on my detailed description of The Ink Dial, the artists offered me original work to print letterpress in a limited edition, each print signed by the artist. Many of the designs will be created solely for this project (see Updates for examples), and printed using The Ink Dial’s mixing system. The artists are:
- Marian Bantjes
- Alan Blackman
- Andrew Byrom
- Michael Clark
- Michael Doret
- Ed Fella
- Eric Hanson
- Carl Kurtz
- Carl Rohrs
- Yvette Rutledge
- Paul Shaw
- Susan Skarsgård
- John Stevens
- Sumner Stone
- Jack Unruh
A very diverse & eclectic mix, to say the least. Their faith in this project is heartening. I hope you will join them in supporting this project!
What’s the goal of your Kickstarter campaign?
The goal of my Kickstarter campaign is to manufacture a dozen sets of Ink Dials and install them in a diversity of print shop environments so the system may be put through its paces, leading toward the Ink Dial’s commercial availability. This latest round of products will include many new features improving upon my rough working prototype system.
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
Support this project
Funding period
- (60 days)