"Michael applying ink to his plate"
Shown here is Michael applying ink to the surface of a zinc plate. The plate is held fast on a page of newspaper by the use of masking tape rings. This enables him to wipe the plate while holding the newspaper and not interupting the inked surfaced with his fingers. It also enables him to wipe the sides of the plate easier. The ink is applied to the surface by use of a mat board chip that pushes the ink into the recesses of the surface so that the plate surface can be wiped free of ink.