Cyanotype is an antique photographic printing process, developed in the mid 1800’s and distinctive for its rich blue color. Jacquard’s high-quality cotton sateen fabric sheets come pre-sensitized for cyanotype and ready to use, making sun printing easier than ever before. Just pull a sheet out of the package, place objects or film on top, expose to light, rinse and dry and you’ll have a rich, detailed print.

Here’s how it works: when the cyanotype fabric is exposed to sunlight, a chemical reaction occurs. It won’t reveal itself, though, until you put the fabric in water. Then it will instantly turn blue!

So how do you make a print? Place objects on the fabric to block the light: anywhere the sunlight doesn’t touch will remain white and leave a photographic impression on the fabric (this is called a “photogram”). To make prints of photographs, just print the photo onto a transparency* and place that on top of the fabric instead of an object. You can even make prints from drawings by first drawing on a transparency—the possibilities are endless! Exposure time depends on conditions, but is generally 3-10 minutes.