What is a 'Hand-Pull'?

The most famous block print is probably

The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Hokusai 1831)

It was made by carving into a block of wood with chisels.

Then, ink is applied to the printing block.

Paper is placed on top of the block,

pressure is applied using a baren,

then the paper is pulled off of the block by hand.

Here, we cut into linoleum instead of wood,

and sometimes use a printer's press.

Hand-pulled emphasizes how much the artist'shands are used in the process,

as opposed to using a modern printer.

This gives delightful minor variations in each print.