Aït Hadiddou, High Atlas, Morocco, circa 1979. Photograph © Pierre Toutain-Dorbec
Carbon pigment printing with Piezography®: an advanced approach to black-and-white printmaking, using a dedicated inkjet printer equipped with seven shades of carbon-based pigment ink.
A photograph changes when it leaves the screen and becomes a print. Paper gives it a surface, a scale, and a different relationship with light. In black-and-white photography, where expression often rests in the smallest differences between tones, printing is part of the creative work.
Piezography® is a specialized printing system developed by Jon Cone. It combines carbon-based pigment inks, dedicated software, and carefully calibrated printing curves to reproduce delicate tonal transitions: deep shadows that retain detail, subtle middle grays, and luminous highlights.
Years ago, I converted my good old Epson Stylus Pro 4800 to Piezography®. Its eight channels hold seven shades of Piezography® Pro and the Piezography® varnish. This printer remains a valued part of my photographic practice, allowing me to interpret each image with care.
Carbon is central to the process, both for its visual qualities and its resistance to fading. Earlier Piezography® Carbon formulations achieved exceptional results in independent accelerated light-fading tests at Aardenburg Imaging & Archives—an important part of the process’s history.
For my prints, I use Hahnemühle papers: Photo Rag Baryta, and Photo Rag, depending on the photograph and the surface I want. Hahnemühle has been making paper since 1584. That long tradition of papermaking meets a modern printing technique in the finished photograph.
Paper is never simply a support. Its texture, its white, and the way it receives ink and reflects light all influence the image. Choosing the paper is another act of interpretation.
Recently, some gallery owners approached me about my photographs, only to later decline to take them on consignment because they were suspicious of the Piezography® process I use for some prints.
I can accept a rejection based on print quality—although that is difficult to judge without seeing the prints. What surprised me most was that some professionals in the art business had never heard of Piezography®, yet felt ready to dismiss it. I confess this made me smile.
My invitation is simple: look at the prints. Examine the shadows, the highlights, the surface, and the detail. Ask about the inks, the paper, and their longevity. There is a worthwhile conversation to be had.
For me, making a print means giving a photograph a physical presence—and taking responsibility for every choice that brings it into being.
- Piezography® is one part of my printmaking practice. I also, of course, continue to make traditional silver gelatin prints.
Learn more about Jon Cone’s Piezography process: www.piezography.com