How to Make Cyanotype Prints: The Complete Guide

How to Make Cyanotype Prints: The Complete Guide

I’ve long been a fan of historical or alternative photography processes, such as platinum-palladium printing or infrared photography.

However, my absolute favourite of these processes is cyanotype printing, one of the oldest and simplest photographic techniques. 

I love making cyanotypes because the process is very inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and easy to do at home:

You don’t need a darkroom or complicated equipment – just sunlight and paper.

Plus, once you have your print, you can manipulate it further using different mixed media techniques, such as dipping it in coffee or painting on it.

In today’s blog post, I will share how to make cyanotype prints in two different ways:

1. Using plants and found objects to create natural botanical prints.
2. Using self-made or printed negatives to create more detailed photographic images.

Let’s get started!

(Just so you know: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate/partner of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases).

1. What is Cyanotype Printing?

The cyanotype process was invented in 1842 by the English scientist Sir John Herschel and later made famous by Anna Atkins, who used it to document plants and seaweed.

How to Make Cyanotype Prints?

Cyanotype printing works through a basic chemical reaction:

Paper (or another surface) is coated with a mixture of two iron-based chemicals.

When this coated surface is exposed to ultraviolet light (usually from the sun), the light-sensitive areas react and form an insoluble blue compound called Prussian blue. 

The covered areas, blocked by an object or a negative, remain white or lighter in tone. 

Cyanotype print. Image credit: Siobhan Flannery.

Of course, you can also convert a photograph to a cyanotype digitally in Photoshop.

However, in my opinion, this “fake” method doesn’t look as beautiful as the real thing, so it’s definitely worth giving this method a go!

2. What You’ll Need

First, you will need cyanotype paper.

If you’re just getting started, I would recommend buying pre-coated cyanotype paper.

It’s not expensive, but saves you from handling chemicals and having to prepare the paper yourself.

I recommend these papers:

🇺🇸 B&H Photo (ships to US + CA)

🇬🇧 Cyanotype UK

If You Want to Make Your Own Paper

If you don’t mind making your own paper (e.g. because you want to work on different types or sizes of paper), you will need the following items: 

• Cyanotype sensitiser chemicals: Ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide (usually sold together as a cyanotype kit).
• Mixing containers: Small plastic or glass jars for preparing and storing the solutions.
• Brush or sponge: For coating the paper evenly (a foam brush works well).
• Paper: Thick, absorbent paper such as watercolour or cotton rag paper. Avoid glossy or coated types.
• Protective gear: gloves and an apron.
• Sunlight or UV lamp: Your light source for exposure.

Get your essentials here:

Cyanotye Kit for Making Your Own Paper:

🇺🇸 Amazon US

🇬🇧 Amazon UK

📷 B&H Photo (US)

📸 Cyanotype UK

Watercolour Paper

For the paper, buy very good-quality watercolour paper. Make sure it is hot pressed and 300gsm. I like the one by Arches:

🇺🇸 Amazon US

🇬🇧 Amazon UK

UV Lamp

🇺🇸 Amazon US

🇬🇧 Amazon UK

Other Essential Items

In addition to the cyanotype paper, you will need some more items depending on which type of print you’re going for:

For Botanical Prints

• Fresh or pressed leaves, flowers, grasses, or other objects.
• A sheet of glass or acrylic to hold them flat during exposure.

For Negatives

• A digital image file converted into a black-and-white negative.

You can use an online service to get your image file converted to a negative.

As an alternative, you can print it out yourself, in which case you will need:

• Transparency film for inkjet or laser printers
• A printer

3. Preparing the Cyanotype Paper

Here are the steps for creating your cyanotype paper. If you are using shop-bought paper, you can jump straight to Section 4: Making Botanical Cyanotype Prints.

Step 1: Prepare the Sensitiser

If you’re using a commercial cyanotype kit (such as the Jacquard or Flic Film kit), prepare the sensitiser according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Most kits contain two solutions that are mixed in equal parts immediately before coating the paper.

Step 2: Coat the Paper

1. Lay your paper on a clean surface (newspaper or cardboard underneath).
2. Using a foam brush or soft brush, apply a thin, even coat of the greenish solution. Avoid soaking the paper, just coat until it looks even.
3. Leave the paper to dry completely before printing. This typically takes 30–60 minutes, but always follow the drying time recommended by the manufacturer of your cyanotype kit.

Once dry, the paper will look pale green-yellow.

Store it in a lightproof envelope or box until you’re ready to print.

By the way: Cyanotype emulsion works on many surfaces, not just paper. Try brushing it onto:

• Cotton or linen fabric
• Watercolour boards
• Wood panels.

Always make sure the surface is absorbent, as non-porous materials won’t hold the solution.

Step 3: Storing the Paper

Cyanotype paper is light-sensitive, so:

• Keep it in a dark, dry place (a drawer or lightproof bag).
• Use it within a week or two for best contrast and detail.
• If it starts turning bluish before exposure, discard.

4. Making Botanical Cyanotype Prints

OK, let’s now talk about how to actually create your cyanotype print!

The first and slightly easier method is to use plants, leaves, flowers or other objects for your printing by placing them directly on the prepared paper. 

By doing this, the areas underneath the objects remain unexposed and turn into white shapes after development:

Image credit: Ekaterina.

Here’s how to make such botanical prints:

Step 1: Create the Composition

Collect a few fresh or pressed leaves, flowers, or stems. Flat, thin objects give you the sharpest details.

Place the objects carefully on the dry paper, coated side up. Leave small gaps between elements.

Once you’re happy with the layout, cover everything with a sheet of clear glass or acrylic to hold it flat during the exposure.

Step 2: Expose to Sunlight

Take the prepared setup outside and place it in direct sunlight. 

The ideal exposure time depends on the strength of the UV light. In direct sunlight, exposures can range from around 5 to 30 minutes, depending on the season, weather, time of day, and the density of your placed object(s).

Alternatively, you can use a UV exposure lamp, which is what I use. My prints usually take around 6–7 minutes to expose, but every lamp is different, so it’s worth making a few test prints to find the ideal exposure time for your setup.

To see whether your print has reached the correct exposure time, you can watch the paper: the original greenish coating will gradually change to a dull bronze or grey-green in the open areas.

That colour shift shows that the chemical reaction has happened and the print is correctly exposed.

Step 3: Rinsing the Print

Once the exposure is finished, remove the plants and place the paper in a tray of cool, running water.

Carefully move the print for 5-10 minutes until the yellow tint disappears and the whites clear.

To intensify the blue colour, you can dip the print briefly in a diluted hydrogen peroxide bath (one part 9% peroxide to three parts water). 

Finally, dry the print flat and out of direct light.

Image credit: Lisa from Pexels.

By the way…do you love taking portraits? Then check out my free ebook below:

…but now, back to the blog post!

In the next section, let’s talk about the other main method for making cyanotype prints, which is using negatives.

5. Making Cyanotypes from Digital Negatives

So, I do love the botanical type cyanotypes, but in my eyes, working with negatives is even more exciting as it gives you a lot of creative possibilities:

Using a printed negative, you can make any photograph or drawing into a cyanotype image.

You can even create your own hand-drawn negative, which I will discuss later in this post.

Before that, let’s talk about how to make cyanotype prints using a printed negative.

By the way, you can also watch my YouTube tutorial to see this process in action:

Step 1: Choosing Your Image

Cyanotypes are contact prints, meaning that every detail of your negative will appear the same size on the paper. 

Start with a black-and-white image that has clear contrast and strong shapes. 

Soft, low-contrast photos can look a bit flat, so it’s better to go for strong shapes with bright highlights and deep shadows.

Image credit: Lisa from Pexels.

I would also recommend choosing an image with a simple composition:

Cyanotypes tend to emphasise outlines and textures rather than subtle mid-tones. 

Portraits, architectural details, or graphic objects work especially well. 

Keep in mind how light passes through your negative:

Clear areas will print dark blue, and opaque black areas will remain white on the final print.

Step 2: Creating a Negative

Next, you will need a negative for your print.

This is how you can create it:

Open your image in a photo editing software, such as Photoshop or Lightroom. 

Convert it to black and white, increase the contrast slightly, and then invert the tones (black becomes white, and white becomes black).

You’ll probably also need to optimise the tonal range of your digital negative so your cyanotype print doesn’t look too washed out or too dark in certain areas.

This is much easier than it sounds; you can watch me do it step by step in my YouTube video here.

Important: If your photo includes text or needs to face a specific direction, flip it horizontally before printing.

Printing the Negative

Print the inverted image on inkjet transparency film (if using an inkjet printer, which is what most people have at home). 

You’ll want to print on the tacky side of the film that feels a bit chalky. If you print on the glossy side, the ink will pearl and not dry properly.

Choose the “Glossy Photo Paper” or “Platinum Pro” setting for maximum ink density. 

Make sure to let the printed negative dry completely before use.

If your negative appears too pale, you can either darken and reprint it, or print a second copy and align both to double the density.

This is definitely a process of trial and error…if you do this a few times, you will start to get a feel for when a negative looks “just right”.

Step 3: Exposure

Position your negative on a sheet of dry cyanotype paper.

The printed side of the negative should touch the coated side of the cyanotype paper.

I like to fix the negative on the paper with two small pieces of tape to prevent slipping.

Then, place a piece of clear glass or acrylic on top to keep the paper and negative flat and aligned.

Ideally, place a piece of dense fabric, like felt, on the other side of the glass, and the clamp the whole thing together like this:

You can also do it without the clamps and fabric, but then the image may not be as sharp.

Exposing the Print

You can now expose the print either in direct sunlight or under a UV lamp. 

Depending on your light source, exposure should take around 5 to 15 minutes. 

If it’s an overcast day or your UV lamp is not very strong, it can be quite a bit longer, like 30-60 minutes.

But these are really just guidelines, it very much depends on the day and time of year.

For example, I made a cyanotype today in the winter sun, and it took about 1.5 hours as the digital negative is very opaque.

My cyanotype print during exposure outside in the sun.

Watch for the colour shift: the coating in visible areas should change from greenish-yellow to bronze-grey as it develops.

If you’re not sure whether your print has fully developed, you can carefully lift the negative with a pair of tweezers in one corner (but make sure it doesn’t slip, as this will give you blurry edges).

Some giveaways that your print is done:

• The lightest areas under the negative are pale, grey/bronze/very light yellow
• The darkest areas under the negative are dark blue/dark green and sort of chalky
• You have a clear edge between the area under the negative and the border around it.

Here’s what my exposed print looked like before washing:

Step 4: Develop and Wash

Remove the negative and rinse your print carefully in cool, running water for 5–10 minutes, until the yellow tint disappears and the whites become clear. 

Afterwards, as mentioned above, you can intensify the blue by dipping the print briefly in a diluted hydrogen peroxide bath (one part 9% peroxide to minimum three parts water).

For drying, lay the print flat or hang it up (out of the light).

My finished print, hung up for drying.

Bonus Tip: Making Your Own Negative

You don’t actually have to create your negative from a photograph:

You could even create your own negative by hand, drawing or painting on a surface that blocks or lets UV light through.

To do this, you will need a thin, semi-translucent material such as tracing paper, drafting film, baking parchment, or inkjet transparency film. 

Hold the material up to a window; if you can see shapes through it, it should work.

Use any drawing or painting medium that dries opaque:

• India ink
• Acrylic paint
• Permanent markers 
• Cut-paper shapes.

Just remember that dark marks block UV and therefore remain white on the final print, whereas clear or pale areas turn blue.

6. Cyanotype FAQ + Troubleshooting

Cyanotype printing is realtively straightforward, but you may still run into some common issues.

Here are some FAQs that will hopefully help solve your problem:

My Print Washed out Completely, and There’s no Image

This usually means your print wasn’t exposed long enough. Try:

• Longer time in the sun (15–25 minutes in strong light, longer in shade)
• Bringing the UV lamp closer
• Making a less dense negative
• Checking that the paper was completely dry before exposure.

The Exposed Areas Stayed Yellow or Pale Instead of Blue

Two possibilities:

1. Exposure wasn’t long enough; keep going until bronze-grey appears.
2. The rinsing off time was too short; wash the print carefully for 5–10 minutes in running water.

The Print Turned Blue Before I Exposed It

That means it has caught too much stray light. To prevent this:

• Store coated paper in a lightproof bag or drawer.
• When making your own paper, do this in low light, away from windows.
• Use fresh paper, as old paper can pre-react.

The Image Looks Flat and Has Low Contrast

Try one or more of the following tips:

• Print a denser negative (more black = more UV blocking).
• Increase the exposure time slightly.
• Choose higher-contrast source images.
• Add a drop of vinegar to the rinse water, which can improve clarity.

The Edges Look Blurry or Soft

The negative or objects probably weren’t fully flat/have moved during exposure.

You get a kind of furry, blurry look when light manages to enter between the negative and the paper.

To prevent this:

• Use a sheet of glass to press everything down, or even clamp the glass and paper together as mentioned above.
• Dry homemade paper well beforehand, as damp paper can turn out wavy.
• Avoid thick or curled leaves that don’t lie flat properly.

The Blues Are Dull

• The water in your area may be too hard; try using distilled water for rinsing.
• Try using a diluted hydrogen peroxide bath to intensify blue tones instantly. Mix: 1 part 9% hydrogen peroxide with 2–3 parts water; for example, 50 ml peroxide + 100–150 ml water. Stir, then immerse the print for 10–30 seconds.

There Are Streaks or Brush Marks Visible

This can happen if you have an uneven coating.

• Use a foam brush for smoother coverage.
• Mix the solution gently to avoid bubbles, which can cause streaks.
• Apply thin, even coats (multiple light coats are better than one heavy one).

Hopefully, this has given you a good overview over how to make a cyanotype print!

If you’re interested in other alternative photography techniques, check out my blog post on photo manipulation here.

Finally, leave me a comment-I would love to hear how your cyanotype print turned out!