About Rolling Mills Resources
“What are Rollerprint Patterns™?”
Rollerprint Patterns™ are paper that has been engraved/cut by a laser to produce low relief textures and designs. They are designed for use with a rolling mill to impart the design/texture onto soft metal. The paper patterns can also be used to pattern other mediums such as metal clay.
“Where do you get your patterns?”
Our patterns start out as drawings, photographs, antique engravings, clip art, computer generated and public domain images. One thing that is very important to us is respecting the copyright of other artists. If you don’t find the exact pattern you desire, just ask – we will track it down or help you develop a custom pattern!
“Why would I buy something I can only use one time?”
•Paper patterns offer an economical alternative for imparting texture or pattern to your work. At 36¢ per square inch, these patterns add minimal cost to total fabrication costs.
•Paper patterns offer Makers a wide variety of textures. Unlike metal pattern plates, a single paper pattern can be easily cut into pieces and used for multiple projects. For the cost of ONE metal pattern, a huge selection of paper patterns can be purchased.
•RMR patterns can be easily modified – select your favorite section of a pattern, reduce or enlarge it, mirror or reverse it, invert the black and white – make the pattern your own! All at no additional cost to modify one of RMR’s patterns!
•Don’t see the pattern you want? We can help you design a custom pattern very economically! Something that is not always practical when it comes to metal pattern plates.
•Paper has a uniform thickness, which leads to more predictable results and reduces waste – both time and materials. Nontraditional choices for texturing, like fabric, lace and leaves, have variations in thickness which can affect the quality of the print transfer, leading to unpredictable results and wasting of materials and time.
•Not all rolling mills will accept the thicker metal pattern plates.
•The cost for shipping paper is much lower than the cost of shipping metal –an especially important consideration for international purchasers.
•And finally…SHHHH!…don’t tell anyone…but we know folks are getting more than one use from our patterns…How many is hard to say…but give it a try…