How to make a multi-colour lino print

By JP at PULPO! · Updated 14 October 2026 · 7-minute read

A multi-colour lino print is a stack of one-colour prints on the same sheet of paper. Each colour has its own carved surface. You print the lightest colour first, let it dry, then print each darker colour on top, lined up exactly. There are two ways to do it: one block for each colour, or one block that you carve again between colours (the reduction method).

The two methods

For a first colour print, use the multi-block method. You can correct each block on its own, and you can print more copies later.

Colour order

Print from light to dark. Each layer prints on top of the one before, and dark ink covers light ink well. A typical three-colour order is a light colour (yellow or ochre), a middle colour (red or blue), then black or a dark colour for the outline and the details.

TipInk can be solid or see-through. A transparent ink lets the colour under it show, so yellow then transparent blue gives green where they overlap. Opaque ink covers what is under it.

Registration: lining up the colours

Registration means putting the paper and each block in exactly the same position for every colour. Without it, the colours drift apart and leave gaps or double edges.

• Make a jig. Glue two strips of card in an L shape on a board. Push each block into the corner of the L, and put each sheet against the same guides.
• Cut all blocks to the same size. Square corners make the jig work.
• Transfer each plate from the same drawing, lined up on the same corner marks.
• Use pins or tabs for big editions. Register pins hold the paper in exactly the same place each time.

The free PULPO! tool splits a photo into colours and gives you a plate for each block, with corner registration marks and a scale bar to check the print size.

Step by step: a three-colour print

1. Split the design into three colours. Decide which areas are paper, light, middle and dark.
2. Cut three blocks to the same size and make a registration jig that fits them.
3. Transfer one plate to each block, as a mirror image, using the same corner marks.
4. Carve block 1 (the lightest colour). Keep every area that should print light, middle or dark: those areas get the first colour too.
5. Print colour 1 on every sheet, plus 2–3 extra sheets for tests. Let it dry.
6. Carve and print block 2, then let it dry.
7. Carve and print block 3, the darkest colour, last.
8. Sign and number the edition in pencil under the image: the number and the edition size on the left (for example 3/10), your name on the right.

Common mistakes

• Too much ink. It fills the fine cuts and spreads at the edges. Roll thin, even layers.
• Printing on wet ink. The colours smear. Wait until each layer is dry.
• No extra sheets. Some prints always fail. Print a few more than you need.
• Forgetting the mirror image. Each block must be reversed, or the colours do not match the drawing.
• Blocks of different sizes. The jig only works when every block has the same corners.

Questions