Speedball4310 Premium Mounted Linoleum Block – Fine, Flat Surface for Easy Carving, Smoky Tan, 5 x 8 Inches

After purchasing this item three or four times, I thought I'd leave a review: The linoleum surface itself is excellent--I would like to give this product five stars, except for issues with the packaging, and with the MDF backing. The blocks were not well packed; I received the items in a standard Amazon plastic shipping envelope, with no other packaging (nothing to keep the blocks from knocking into one another during shipping). No significant damage during shipping though. I also had some minor issues with the MDF backing board. I used a etching press to pull prints from these (5"x8") blocks, and when using moderate pressure (enough to faintly emboss the surface of the paper), some cracks began to form near the edges of the blocks after a few dozen prints. Even after fifty or more prints, the cracking was not extensive enough to cause the blocks to disintegrate in any significant way, but could be a problem if you're printing a few hundred or more. I would not expect any issues when printing by hand. One other thing that I noticed with the MDF backing: when cleaning the blocks with soap and warm water, after printing, some parts of the backing began to swell irregularly. In the future, I will probably remove oil-based ink from the blocks with vegetable oil only, as the blocks seem to deform somewhat when cleaning with water. Despite these issues, I continue to buy these linocut blocks, because speedball seems to be one of the few suppliers to offer linoleum in a smoky-tan color, which I prefer to the standard battleship-gray.

Mounted block works well for anyone wanting to explore lino prints. Cuts easily. I was surprised that it did not come shrinkwrapped.