THE DOTTED LINE / DOCS

FIELD MANUAL / LIVING ARCHIVE

A guide to making.
A record of the medium.

The companion reference for The Dotted Line and Blotter Builder: practical documentation for every tool, alongside a researched history of blotter art as print culture.

Open the field manualEnter the archive
01
Start a first design

Format, upload, place, transform, preview.

02
Prepare for print

Resolution, bleed, safe area, color, registration.

03
Read the visual history

Origins, makers, motifs, archives, afterlives.

TWO WAYS IN

Follow the task or follow the story.

I / FIELD MANUAL

Blotter Builder documentation

From the first upload to a registered print-and-cut package, documented in the language of the live application.

  • Getting started & formats
  • Uploads, templates & assets
  • Creative tools & image adjustments
  • Layers, transforms & alignment
  • Preview, production readiness & export
  • Drafts, proofs, cart & ordering
Browse 42 documentation topics →

II / LIVING ARCHIVE

A compendium of blotter art

A source-led chronology of the medium, its makers, recurring images, production methods, legal context, and collecting culture.

  • Before blotter & the carrier medium
  • Underground print networks
  • Artists, printers & publishers
  • Motifs, marks & visual families
  • Material culture & production
  • Archives, exhibitions & scholarship
Explore the compendium →

EDITORIAL PRINCIPLES

Clear enough to use.
Careful enough to cite.

01Application-accurateInterface names, warnings, and workflows follow the current Builder.

02Source-visibleHistorical claims carry dates, references, and confidence notes.

03Context-awareThe archive distinguishes art, carrier medium, and contemporary undipped editions.

04Designed to growEach topic has a stable home, cross-links, and a revision date.