The long awaited return of Somerset Velvet Black printmaking paper has finally happened. After a 5 year absence, St Cuthberts Mill have reformulated its famous Somerset Black and re-introduced it to the market.
Somerset Black still has a deep warm shade of black, with an even darker core, and its surface retains the beautiful mid-textured finish of the other ‘velvet’ finished in the Somerset range. The internal structure of the sheet exhibits even darker fibers, which gives some dramatic results when laser etched.
Somerset Black is an archival sheet made with 100% cotton, being both acid free and fade resistant. It has an alkaline pH, and reaches 6+ on the Blue Wool Scale for fade resistance.
Much work has gone into reformulating the Somerset paper, using new black pigments, to give a sheet worthy to have the Somerset name.
Somerset Black is now available in a 280gsm in 30” x 44” bearing the Somerset watermarks and 4 deckle edges, plus a 22” x 30” sheet with the Somerset watermark and 3 deckle edges.
Somerset Black is suitable for Block/Relief Printing, Embossing, Intaglio/Etching, Hand Lithography, Letterpress, Silkscreen/Serigraphy, Laser Cutting/Etching, and Pastel.