Hang this poster beside the press, so the rules are in front of whoever cleans it.
What is on the poster
Do
- Assess every process for what it puts in the air, and vent it: dilution for the room, local exhaust for press cleaning and the acid bath.
- Water-based screen and monoprint inks wherever they will do the job.
- Ferric chloride and other safer etches; zinc plates over copper.
- Gloves and an apron for oil-based products; splash goggles for acids and solvents.
- Know where the eyewash and shower are. Pint quantities of acid or more: a deluge shower within reach.
- Sprays only in a spray booth; contact paper or double-sided tape instead of spray adhesive.
- Inks and pigments with toxic metals, spent acid and solvent cleaners collected as hazardous waste.
Never
- Trust the smell. Lithotine and other solvents smell pleasant and still poison.
- Use lead type or lead pigments where a digital or safer method exists.
- Pour acid, solvent or ink cleaner down a drain.
- Power-wash screens without exhaust and eye protection.
- Eat or drink in the print studio.
Headache or lightheadedness at the press means overexposure. Stop, get air, and fix the ventilation before you go on.
Built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard
This poster carries the SSTS mark. Like every Science Safety course, it is built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard (SSTS): every rule on it is taken from the body that governs it, at its current edition, and the source is printed on the poster, so you can check it yourself.
Stay current
When you get this poster, it is saved to your Science Safety account. If we revise the poster, or the Printing and Printmaking module it comes from changes, we will email you, and the latest version will be waiting under Downloads in your account. Every revision carries its revision number and date at the bottom of the poster, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your wall is current.
Printing and hanging
- One-page PDF, US letter (8.5 by 11 inches).
- White background, so it prints clearly on any office or classroom printer without using much ink.
- Hang it beside the press, at eye level.
- The QR code in the blue title band opens this page, so anyone can get their own copy.
- The QR code at the bottom opens the Printing and Printmaking module.
Learn more
The Printing and Printmaking module teaches the full topic this poster comes from.
Sources:
- Environmental Health and Safety in the Arts: printmaking – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard Communication – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- 29 CFR 1910.151(c), Medical services and first aid – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (reviewed September 30, 2026)
Poster SSP-0041, Rev. 1, September 2026.
