Yes, you can certainly lock up two Boxcar Bases into one chase and print, and in most situations print a letterpress plate that spans the two bases. We inspect our Boxcar Bases and verify they are within plus/minus 0.001” in thickness, parallel and flatness. Still, we’d like your bases to be even closer in height than +/- 0.001″ if possible.  Here’s how to do this depending on your situation.

• You purchase one base and have it cut into two pieces: use each piece individually or lock them both back up together for a larger base surface. Your two cut sides should match up perfectly. Slide them together and using quoins, furniture and leading, fill the chase on all sides around the two bases to support the pieces and have a good strong lock-up.
• You already have two different bases in your shop: These should be fine to print. There may be slight variation within the +/- 0.001″ tolerance, so find the two sides most similar in thickness and slide them together.
• You have a base. You want to purchase another base to print with at the same time: We keep detailed specs on each base we sell. When you order your second base, let us know your original base’s serial number—we’ll make sure the bases we ship to you are identical heights so you can butt them together and have a very even printing surface.  Where do you find your serial number – on the bottom edge under the Boxcar text.
• You are going to purchase two bases to print with at the same time: Just let us know that you’re planning to print with them at the same time, and we’ll choose the two closest in height from our inventory.

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We totally understand that you want to get the most use and space out of your press. However, knowing about some of the challenges you will face can help you make decisions about the correct size.

First, keep in mind that every press, like every person, has a limit to its strength. A press with a 10 x 15 chase will never be able to hammer a 10 x 15 block of text. You’ll be able to get a good impression using about 60-70% of your chase, depending on your form. Secondly, your base needs to stay put in your chase with a good lockup.  To secure your base in your chase, you need to make room for the quoins plus furniture for distributing the weight of the base, and gauge pins. Gauge pins fit in the space outside the base and over the furniture.

We recommend checking out our Base Selection Chart which recommends the ideal size base for your chase. With a 10×15 chase, we would recommend a 9×12 base, for instance.

If you really want to max out the base size, keep in mind your base should be at least 1 inch, preferably 1.5 inches, smaller than your chase.  If you use a lot of paper that is precut, it is most likely smaller than your base. This can make it challenging to place your gauge pins and still hold the paper and not hit the base. One safety note, the larger the base in your platen press, the further you have to reach into the press to place your paper.  This is very important with a larger press with a motor, so take into consideration your comfortable reach, the speed of the press, and your fingers when locking up a larger base.

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Your maximum plate size is actually the size of your base — your photopolymer plates can go right up to the edge of your base. Obviously your relief images and text should not hang over your edge. This is true for both magnetic bases and the Boxcar Base.  If you need a little more base for occasional projects, consider a Boxcar Base scrap to add that extra ½” – 1”.  Read more about maximum base size.

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