Speedball 4196 Speedy-Carve Block Printing Carving Block – Soft, Easy Carve Surface – 9 x 11-3/4 Inches, Pink

This is my go-to for block printing, easy to carve and holds up well, doesn’t crumble or tear up after printing several times.

CONTEXTWe wanted to get some shirts and dresses printed for our wedding, but when we got the quote from our local printers, it was insane and not worth it. I had already planned to do block printing on some shirts we purchased and had a little bit of practice, so I figured this would be the perfect time to do it.PROS- Very smooth and easy AF to carve.- This is large! One block of this can make a nice, large print on a dress or shirt.CONS- It is quite flimsy, so you'll have to be careful when actually block printing... especially if you make a large print like I did.OVERALLI love Speedball carving blocks! They are very easy to use, even for first-timers.

This is my new favorite linocut material. It's way easier to carve than typical linoleum (much gentler on my hands!) but firmer and less stretchy/rubbery than other block printing material styled "easy." I've used several products including Speedball's other line (Speedy-Cut), Utrecht's Soft-Kut, and Sax Safe N E-Z Printmaker's Rubber Blocks from Amazon, and this one beats them all in everything except (sadly) price. The pink Speedy Carve holds really fine, sharp lines with no drag on the blade and no flex to the rubber to warp the cut, which was a particular problem for the Utrecht and Sax Safe. It also feels a lot more durable than the other brands, though I haven't really pushed them to their limits. I wish the price were a bit lower, but it's by far the most pleasant material to work with and allows for a lot more precision and detail.

I was new to linoprint when I bought this but it did well . I made a few stamps . I did not know it was a big eraser but I bought 2 so it performed well . Easy to carve .

I have been be carving for 7 years consistently. This is my favorite block, and I have tried "the grey stuff", Staedtler Mars blocks (Moo), etc. I carve with both blades and gouges, so I feel it works really well with both. It gives me very clean lines and hold detail well. I recommend pairing it with Versa-Fine ink if you would REALLY like the details pop.The was a time period around 2012 where this block ("the pink stuff") was not as good quality as it had been before. The surfaces had microscopic bubbles (you can see then if looking at the edge of the block) that would make lines jagged when cut. This did effect work, but to be honest, I preferred it still over any other option. However, if you get one of these batches, I recommend letting the seller know. However, I have not found myself getting any from this batch in a few years from Amazon, so you should be all set, but it is good to be aware.

Easy to work with

I loved working with this material. So easy to carve, and even easy to trim the excess off the sides. Only warning-- don't feel like you need to carve too deep. I got carried away and almost poked through the opposite side!

This brand is very easy to cut through, even with the inferior quality blades that I bought. This was only my second time carving and I found this product very easy to use. I was able to cut out the stamp I made without any problems. It is much sturdier than other brands, which I like because it is harder to make mistakes. I will be buying this product again as I continue my projects.