I purchased my little Enjay RP12 press in January 2025. I was looking for a small portable printmaking press to enable me to travel with the press to offer accessible one day printmaking workshops and inspiring educational demonstrations in galleries, arts centres, public halls, schools and at cultural events.
Many thanks to Baw Baw Shire Council for the grant funding from their Arts and Culture Fund which covered the cost of the press and the blanket kit, and went some way to funding a folding hand trolley.
I was immediately entranced with this beautifully made press which I picked up personally from the makers Neil and Denise Jeffery at Montrose. The crank handle which comes off for transportation was presented in its own patchwork bag made by Denise.
Artist Laurie Collins helped me add a wooden base to the press to make it stable on any kind of community hall or gallery table. With the funding I also purchased a folding hand trolley so I could move it around easily. It’s only 12 kilograms but I’ve placed it in a large plastic tub which also holds the ink and paper for each workshop.
On its first official outing in April I gave a free printmaking demo at Yarram Courthouse Gallery where I was holding a solo exhibition. About 20 people turned up (on Good Friday!!) to watch the demo. The mix of artists, printmakers and community members were excited about this small press and printmaking and a few travelled to my next event at Red Tree Tree Gallery in Jindivick where I offered a free 2 hour workshop collaborating with artist Tina Sheers. This time there were more attendees. Many people came from the immediate Jindivick area so excited to have this event in their backyard, and to find they could make a little tetrapak print so easily. These participants also engaged with my current exhibition at Red Tree Gallery and checked out Laurie Collins’ Sculpture Garden.
The Little press has opened creative printmaking opportunities to a wider range of people not usually reached at my studio based workshops, in particular the young, those living with disability, and senior residents. Pulling a print by hand is slow and physically demanding for those without good arm strength. The little press is safe with a comfortable crank handle making the printing of relief or intaglio effortless. There no hidden finger trap points, and it has fitted bed stops, making this a perfectly safe etching press.
There are more adventures planned for the Little Press, allowing me to expand my printmaking workshops over the next several years.
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