Studio information

Our 19,000-square-foot studio offers professional print making facilities for intaglio, relief, letterpress, silkscreen, photo-based and alternative processes, such as XANTE and plate lithography. Our studio also has free Wi-Fi, desktop computer stations equipped with Adobe Suite and similar programs, and free-to-use Wacom drawing tablets.

Our Print Making Facilities

    • American French Tool Press Bed — 30”x 50”

    • American French Tool Press Bed — 36”x 60”

    • Charles Brand Etching Press Bed —24”x 48”

    • Rembrandt Graves Etching Press Bed — 17”x 36”

    • Hot plate for melting rosin

    • Metal plate shear — 40”

    • Files

    • Polishing tools

    • Schwede Rosin Box to accommodate an 18” x 24” plate

    • Acid and etching agents: Ferric Chloride (for Copper) and Copper Sulfate (for Zinc and Aluminum)

    • Asphaltum Ground green substitute (BIG ground)

    • Small oven for baking BIG ground

    • Green stop out

    • Backing materials

    • Stripper and Deoxidizer solutions

    • Rubber gloves

    • Griffin III Litho Press 40” x 71”

    • Plate Backer 25.5”x35.5”

    • Graining sink

    • Grit

    • Levigator 8”

    • Lithographic stones 

    • Leather and rubber rollers

    • Nitric Acid

    • Gum Arabic

    • Darkroom with an Amergraph V28-1200 SEExposure Unit System

    • Aquatint screen

    • Darkroom sink

    • Microfiber towels

    • Dryer

    • Thermometer

    • Generous supply of wood and lead type

    • Assorted furniture and leading

    • Wide assortment of vintage dingbats, ornament, and cuts

    • Two Boxcar Bases: 13x19 and 4.5x7.5, and a pressure-printing base

    • Vandercook No. 3 Letterpress 14”x 18” 

    • Vandercook No. 4t Letterpress 14”x 18” 

    • Chandler and Price “New Style” 1912 Letterpress 8” x 12”

    • Challenge guillotine paper cutter 26.5”

    • A screen coating/drying room

    • Lawson Nova Exposure Unit 40x50"capacity

    • Backlit screen washout booth with power washer

    • Library of fifty “Shop Screens” various sizes and mesh counts (110-305)

    • Ten 30” x 40” communal screens 195 mesh.

    • Ulano Proclaim Emulsion

    • CP2 Green emulsion stripper

    • Various sizes of squeegees and scoop coaters

    • Hinge Clamp boards, Various sizes

    • Various sizes of screens

    • 1 color t-shirt press

    • HP 8.5”x 11” laser jet P2035 printer (black and white, for paper)

    • Aficio 11’’x17’’ SP 6330N printer (black and white, for paper)

    • Epson 13’’x19’’ SureColor p700 printer (for transparencies only)

    • 11”x 17” large-format EPSON scanner

    • iMac loaded with Adobe Creative Suite

    • RISO Rz390 ui Duplicator– Fluorescent Pink, Blue, Yellow, and Black drums

    • Intaglio Inks — Graphic chemical oil-based inks and a variety of Modifiers (process colors only)

    • Letterpress Inks — Van Son Holland Fine Printing Rubber Base ink (various colors)

    • Litho Inks - Shop Black, Senefelder’s Crayon Black, Hanco Crayon Black, Graphic Chem Roll-up black, Various colors.

General Tools + Supplies

Zygote offers a variety of general supplies and tools for Artist Renters and Open Studio participants.

These supplies and materials are included in Open Studio and rental fees. As a rule, artists producing large-scale production runs that exceed 25 prints need to purchase their own ink and general supplies.

    • Rag system

    • Brayers

    • Self-healing cutting mats, rulers, and tear bar

    • Flattening/Drying system

    • Newsprint, miscellaneous brushes, paper cutters

    • 30″ x 40″ light table

    • three large drying racks, 2 small

    • ink knives

    • glass inking slabs

    • oil + vinegar cleaners

    • Degreasers

    • Nitrile gloves

    • Felt blankets

    • Supplies can be purchased during Open Studio hours from a studio monitor. (Cash and credit cards are accepted.)

    • Printmaking papers, (Stonehenge, Hahnemuehle Copperplate, BFK Rives)

    • Copper plates (Full Sheets, Half Sheets and Quarter Sheets)

    • Polymer plates (limited supply)

    • Xante Plates

    • Transparencies

    • Tarlatan and cheesecloth (sold by the yard)

    • Water based Speedball paper screen print inks, process colors, black, white, extender.

    • Tape

    • Oil based ink in colors other than process colors, white, and black

Green Shop Policy

Zygote is dedicated to maintaining a safe and healthy print shop for staff, users, and visitors. In 2015, Zygote converted the shop to all green printmaking techniques.

  • The use of Copper Sulfate and Ferric Chloride etchants instead of acids for intaglio etching

  • The use of oil, vinegar, Estisol 242 and Soysolv II as cleaners replacing toxic cleaners and solvents

  • The use of water-based screen printing inks

  • A paper recycle box for continuous use with scratch/proofing cover sheets

  • Recycling bins for plastic and aluminum throughout the shop

  • The use of a biweekly rag service (to reduce the use of paper towels)

  • A health-and-safety campaign with pronounced signage in the shop

  • Programming green printmaking classes

  • The continual research and development of new approaches and techniques and processes to be brought to the shop and taught to new audiences

Questions about the shop?

Email our Shop and Residency Manager Elyse Herrera elyseherrera@zygotepress.org