Printmaking paper humidification

Regardless of the method used, printing involves bringing an inked matrix into contact with a sheet of paper so that the ink is evenly deposited on the latter. Papers with varying textures and hardness levels often require moistening to provide flexibility and elasticity. This moisture may seem contradictory since ink is oily. One might predict that the ink would be rejected by the wet paper, but a subtle physical phenomenon occurs: under pressure, the ink rises to the surface of the paper, pushing away the moisture and creating a kind of capillary suction. Of course, the paper should only be moist and not have water beading on its surface.

There are two methods of moistening: immersion (or soaking) in a water tank and impregnation by placing the sheet of paper between two other already moist sheets or lightly spraying water on the back of the paper (which should then be stacked without too much weight on top to allow the sheets to spread out and prevent warping).

The method depends on the paper's weight, texture, and fragility. Immersion is chosen for heavy, coarse-textured, "hard," and glued papers. Impregnation is chosen for lightweight, flexible, or weakly glued papers, as this method is gentler and more subtle. The main goal is to achieve uniform moisture.