What is deckling? A deckled print is a print that has one or more edges that are torn instead of being a straight edge. Mould-made papers often had a soft feathered edge where the deckle (or belt) was used along with a mold to gather up woodpulp from a vat for pressing and drying into sheets. When the paper was torn into separate pieces a tear deckle was also created in addition to the natural deckle formed during manufacture of the paper.
So what does this have to do with digital printing? Because of its historical origins, deckling is often associated with fine art papers and deckling of paper edges can add an organic feel to a digital print. While the effect can be overdone, I’ve found that selective deckling can emphasize the ‘print as object’ feel of a digital print. A deckled print is typically framed with the edges showing, such as by being dry mounted without an overmat. Deckled prints can also improve the aesthetic “presence” of a print intended for hanging on a wall without a frame.
To create a tear deckle, I use a dual edge ripper that lets you use either a fine or coarse set of teeth to create a more random-looking tear. Other methods involve using a straight edge and optionally wetting the tear line to make it more likely to tear (or in a factory environment using a high pressure water stream to do so). It is important to use any of these methods after you have completed the print, as a ragged edge could cause feeding problems on your printer or, more importantly, could result in small paper particles cause problems inside your printer. You may have to print a larger border to give you room to make the tear. I also prefer to use thicker matte papers, and usually textured ‘meatier’ ones, though the process will work on almost any paper.
You can see an excellent set of pictures and instructions (and videos) at the Inkjetart site – recommended if you are interested in doing this yourself or seeing how things look.
