The 5 essential tools for linocut

For linocut printmaking, we've always recommended these five cutter shapes: a small V, a medium V, and three U-shaped chisels. You can make almost any design, at any scale, with just these five tools. The steel blades have been sharpened carefully by the artisans at RGM, then set into natural beechwood handles.

Each tool measures about 5", with a well-balanced 3/4" diameter handle. They're finished with chrome brass fittings. Made in Italy; final packaging in St. Louis.

RGM: Made in Italy since 1961

RGM is a family company in Maniago, about an hour's drive from Venice in the northeast corner of Italy. The town of Maniago has been known for many years for its fine cutlery, shears, and blades of all kinds. In the late 1950s, Rosa Gastaldo Mario decided to turn this local expertise into an art supply business, and in 1961 he officially established RGM to supply painting knives to artists around the world.

Today, RGM is operated by second and third-generation members of Mario's family. From a small factory in Maniago, they're constantly working with artists to create new shapes and styles — because fine art never stops changing, and new tools are always welcome.