RGM vs Woodzilla: Roller Etching Press or Lever Lino Press?

The RGM and the Woodzilla are not two versions of the same machine, and that is the whole comparison. The RGM is a roller press: the bed carries your plate and paper under felt through a nip between two steel rollers, and that squeeze is strong enough to force damp paper into incised lines. That is what intaglio needs, and no amount of downward lever pressure replaces it. RGM's catalog lists the TC.2642 with solid steel rollers at 35 mm diameter, a 3 mm galvanized iron bed of 26.5 by 42 cm, a black painted steel frame, and a weight of 11 kg.

Where it asks more of you is effort and setup. It is direct drive, one turn of the wheel per turn of the roller, so a big zinc plate at full pressure takes real arm. RGM only adds 1:3 gearing on its larger presses, starting at the 35 by 50 cm size, which cost far more. Roller printing also means packing, blanket care, and checking registration pull by pull. Our full RGM etching press review covers felts and setup in detail, and it ranks as the tabletop pick in our best etching presses guide.

For lino and woodcut up to letter size, the Woodzilla does the job with less fuss than any roller press, the RGM included. A platen press brings a flat plate straight down onto the whole block in one motion. There is no nip line to set, no bed to pack, and registration is as simple as a jig on the base. Woodzilla's own product page lists the A4 model with a fully welded steel frame in a gloss powder coat, 30 mm press plates with a lacquered finish, a weight of 6.5 kg, and a footprint of 33 by 33 by 20 cm. The felt blanket and self-adhesive anti-skid feet ship with it.

The trade is permanent. Without a roller the Woodzilla cannot force paper into an incised line, so intaglio is off the table forever. If you are carving blocks today but have been watching drypoint videos, that is the argument for the RGM or the cheaper Creative Mark roller press below. Our full Woodzilla press review covers owner patterns on large blocks, and our brayers and block printing inks guide covers what you need beside it.

If the question behind "RGM vs Woodzilla" is really "roller or platen on a budget", this is the roller answer. It does everything the RGM does at a smaller scale: drypoint, etching, collagraph, and lino with the pressure dialed down. The trade is width and stiffness. Decide on your biggest plate first; if it is 8 by 10 or under, the Creative Mark prints it well. It is the value pick in our best etching presses guide.

This is a learning press, and it is honest about being one. For the price of a good set of carving tools you get a machine that pulls a drypoint and a lino print, which tells you which direction your practice wants to go before you choose between an RGM and a Woodzilla. Expect to shim and fuss with it. Our printmaking press buying guide explains what to check on a budget press.

The A3 matches the RGM's bed length at 16.5 inches, which makes this the fairest size-for-size comparison. If you print only relief at that scale, the A3 is faster per print and needs no felts or packing. If there is any chance you will etch, the extra roughly $300 for the RGM buys a whole second family of techniques. Woodzilla's A3 page lists 36 mm press plates against the A4's 30 mm.