Alternative process
IntermediateCarbon Process
Deep blacks and visible relief
The Carbon process — our name for carbon transfer — uses pigmented gelatin whose thickness varies with exposure. The result: maximum density blacks and a subtle bas-relief visible in raking light. Available in monochrome (Museum Black) and colour (Deep Color).
The Holy Grail of printing
Carbon printing offers the highest density (dMax) of all alternative processes. The pigmented gelatin thickness creates a subtle relief visible in raking light, giving the image a unique physical presence. It offers the best archival permanence — centuries of conservation.
Materials
Transfer paper · Pigmented gelatin · 640 gsm cotton final support · UV light
Two variants
100% non-toxic
All our chemistry is reformulated by Vision Picturale to be safe for home use. No toxic products whatsoever.
In 4 steps
Make a carbon print in 4 steps
Prepare
Prepare the carbon tissue (pigmented gelatin) and sensitize it.
Calibrate
Print your negative on transparent film with the carbon ICC profiles.
Expose
Expose the tissue in contact with the negative using the Luminograph (5-12 min).
Reveal
Transfer onto the final support and develop in warm water. Unexposed gelatin dissolves.
Maximum density
Why Carbon has the highest dMax of all alternative processes
dMax — maximum density — measures the deepest black a process can reach. An Epson inkjet reaches 1.8 to 2.0. A museum-grade fibre baryta silver print tops out at 2.2. A cyanotype: 1.4. A single-coat Aquaprint: 1.3. Carbon, on the other hand, exceeds 2.4 — it's the only non-silver process to do so.
The explanation is physical, not chemical. Where all other processes deposit a thin layer of matter (a few microns), Carbon deposits a pigmented gelatin layer of variable thickness: the more exposed the zone, the thicker. In pure shadows, 50 to 80 microns of solid pigment build up. That's matter stacked, not spread.
This thickness produces two effects unique to Carbon. First, a subtle bas-relief visible in raking light — the image is physically palpable, you can feel it with a fingertip. Second, a perceptual saturation of black that resembles nothing else: you don't see a dark tone, you see an absence of light.
This is why Carbon was the reference process for museums and private collections from 1864 to 1930, and why it remains the most prized among collectors of photographic prints today. Its archival permanence — multiple documented centuries on late-19th-century Carbro prints — comes from the fact that the pigment is inert and the hardened gelatin is tanned to the core.
Frequently asked questions
Everything about this process
What is the origin of carbon transfer?
The carbon transfer process is a pigment photographic process invented in 1864 by Englishman Joseph Wilson Swan, patented the same year and presented to the Royal Photographic Society in London. The historic process relies on a pigmented gelatin sensitized with potassium dichromate, exposed under a negative, then transferred to a final support after clearing in warm water. The Vision Picturale carbon transfer process preserves pigment chemistry and transfer logic, but completely removes potassium dichromate through alternative sensitization with VP N°03 Universal Sensitizer on VP N°05 pigmented gelatins ready to expose. It comes in carbon black for the Musée Black variant and cyan, magenta, yellow for the Deep Color variant in three successive transfers. The rendering presents a slight bas-relief visible in raking light, exclusive signature of carbon transfer.
Why is carbon transfer non-toxic in the VP version?
The Vision Picturale carbon transfer process is entirely non-toxic because potassium dichromate sensitization, classified as CMR category 1B by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) under CLP, has been replaced by proprietary VP N°03 Universal Sensitizer, whose safety data sheet mentions no carcinogenic or mutagenic pictogram. VP N°05 pigmented gelatins use mineral and organic pigments certified ASTM I lightfast, without heavy metals. Development with warm water at 40°C uses neither volatile solvent nor strong acid. The practitioner can concretely prepare and transfer pigmented gelatins on a kitchen table, dispose of clearing water through standard drains. Nitrile gloves remain recommended during wet transfer to avoid fingerprints on the pigmented layer.
What are the steps of CMY carbon transfer?
A Deep Color Vision Picturale carbon transfer print in three CMY transfers requires roughly twelve to fifteen hours spread over three days. Each transfer follows an identical cycle: exposure of VP N°05 pigmented gelatin sensitized with VP N°03 under a 365 nm Luminograph A3+ unit for three to six minutes depending on the separation negative, transfer onto final support by wet contact for ten minutes, development in warm water at 40°C for fifteen to twenty minutes until complete clearing, four to six hours of drying before the next color transfer. Registration between layers uses half-millimeter marks. The monochrome Musée Black variant requires a single sequence, around four to five hours. The practitioner can concretely plan a color print over a full weekend by parallelizing drying and preparation steps.
How does carbon transfer differ from resinotype?
The Vision Picturale carbon transfer process offers the highest dMax of all alternative processes, above 2.1 by densitometric measurement, against roughly 1.7 for VP resinotype. This tonal depth stems from the thickness of the transferred VP N°05 pigmented gelatin, several tens of microns against just a few microns for resinotype. Carbon transfer also produces a slight bas-relief visible in raking light, a signature absent from resinotype whose finish is plane and vitrified by its polymerized VP resin. The practitioner will choose carbon transfer for subjects with wide tonal range where deep black saturates the image. Resinotype suits mineral subjects better, where velvety finish and varnished microreliefs prevail. Both processes share VP N°05 gelatin and VP N°03 Sensitizer, and both exclude dichromate.
What skill level does carbon transfer require?
The Vision Picturale carbon transfer process sits between intermediate and advanced level depending on the variant. The monochrome Musée Black variant remains accessible to the intermediate practitioner who has completed thirty to forty cyanotype and Aquaprint prints, since it requires only a single transfer without registration alignment. The Deep Color variant in three CMY transfers demands a confirmed level: precise registration to within half a millimeter between three separation negatives, transfer temperature control at constant 40°C, and mastery of differential clearing. In addition to the kit (VP N°05 pigmented gelatins + VP N°03 Sensitizer), the practitioner must acquire a thermostatic tray or cooking thermometer, final supports in baryta or watercolor paper, and a rigid contact press frame for Luminograph A3+ exposure.
How permanent is a carbon transfer print?
A carbon transfer print lasts several centuries and constitutes the most permanent photographic process ever documented, as attested by late 19th century carbon prints preserved at the Musée d'Orsay and at George Eastman House in Rochester, still without visible alteration more than one hundred and fifty years after their printing. This stability stems from the pigments used (carbon black, mineral oxides, ASTM I), incorporated into VP N°05 gelatin hardened by VP N°03 Universal Sensitizer. The carbon transfer process contains neither silver salt nor sensitive organic dye. The practitioner must nonetheless mount carbon prints on neutral pH 7 to 8.5 board in an environment with stable humidity below 60%. Vision Picturale carbon transfer, without dichromate, preserves this original multi-century permanence while eliminating the health risk.
An alternative
Want a carbon print, not make it yourself?
Carbon demands the most exacting practice of all alternative processes: tissue preparation, transfer, colour layer registration. The printers of Maison Picturale have made it a specialty. Monochrome Museum Black or three-pass colour, formats up to Jésus, documented archival permanence.
Order a carbon printMaison Picturale · Paris 20e
