blackprint edition
From plate to object
It begins with a simple observation: a 9 × 12 cm glass plate negative from around 1910 was never meant to be printed at 100 × 132 cm on washi. Contact printing kept the positive within the exact dimensions of the negative — a physical constraint that defined what a photograph could be. blackprint works against that constraint deliberately.
Historical negatives become large-scale objects on papers and at scales that were technically impossible at the time of their making. Artists in the edition work from the same premise: editions conceived from the outset as physical objects, not as images that happen to be printed.
The first edition blackprint ever produced makes this concrete. A glass plate negative of 13 × 18 cm, dating from around 1907, was printed on Cartalafranca — a handmade paper produced in the Vallemaggia, in Ticino, by François Lafranca, himself an artist and gravure printer who began making paper in 1970 for artists such as Ben Nicholson and Jean Arp.
The emulsion of the plate had partially disappeared by the time it reached blackprint. Nothing was corrected. The traces of time — the missing fragments of the original image — are part of the work. Three traditions, three centuries, one object. What unites a 19th-century glass plate and a contemporary edition in the same program is not period or medium — it is a shared conviction that an image finds its fullest form as a physical object.
The 1st source — Archives
A private archive of historical photographic glass plates spanning the 1860s to the 1910s — negatives and positives that include stereoviews by Ferrier and Soulier, early aeronautical subjects, microscopic views, and nude photography from the turn of the century. Each plate is digitised at high resolution and printed without digital retouching: scratches, emulsion loss, and surface marks are preserved as part of the image, not corrected away.
Among the key releases from this archive is the Karo #03 edition, presenting photographs by the Zurich photographer Johannes Meiner (1867–1941), researched and selected in collaboration with Ylva Meyer from the Baugeschichtliches Archiv der Stadt Zürich.
The 2nd source — Contemporary
Since 2018, blackprint edition has worked with living artists on editions conceived jointly from the outset — from image selection and paper choice to format, finishing, and presentation. These are not print commissions: they are collaborations in which the production process itself is part of the artistic decision.
Provenance & production
Every work in the edition — historical or contemporary — is issued as a unique piece or a strictly numbered series. To guarantee provenance and digital integrity, most works are accompanied by a Verisart Certificate of Authenticity registered on a public blockchain, creating a permanent and transferable record of ownership and technical specifications.
Every stage of production — research, digitisation, printing, finishing, and packaging — is carried out in-house in Zurich. For technical details on certificates and standards, see our FAQ.
The Collections
Private collection
Subjects from blackprint’s archive of glass plates, 1860s–1910s — aeronautical history, microscopic views, nude photography. Printed without digital retouching on Arches Velin BFK Rives and Japanese Washi. Limited to 5, 10, or 15 copies.
Karo edition
30 × 30 cm, delivered in a vinyl sleeve with a round window. Historical glass plates and contemporary artist editions on handmade Swiss and Japanese papers. Limited to 90 or 365 copies.
Karo Collector’s Edition
Nude stereoscopy on 47 × 105 mm glass plates, circa 1893 — documents of a medium testing its own limits. Handmade papers from Switzerland and Japan. Limited to 15 or 30 copies.
Karo Museum
The same historical subjects at a different scale: 90 × 90 cm, printed on Awagami Bamboo Washi and laminated between two panes of anti-reflective mineral glass. Limited to 15 copies.
Karo Artist
The Karo format — 30 × 30 cm, white vinyl sleeve — applied to editions developed with contemporary artists. Handmade artisanal Washi, signed and numbered, with Verisart blockchain certificate.
Artist edition
Editions conceived jointly with photographers and artists — from image selection and paper choice to format and presentation. Primarily exclusive series of 3 to 7 copies, with an increasing number of unique works.
Beyond the Edition
While blackprint edition is dedicated to in-house production, the Collection OFF brings together original works by the same artists — paintings, drawings, analogue photographic works, and video installations. These are not editions: each piece exists as a single object or unique variant, selected for the same attention to physical presence that defines the edition programme.
All editions are available directly through our online gallery. A selection of the Karo series can also be found at the Swiss National Museum (Zurich) and Photo Elysée (Lausanne). Works from the edition are also on view in our gallery space in Zurich — visits welcome during opening hours or by appointment.