Pigment ink transfers

Artichoke Thistle, Spring Transition, copyright 2026 Douglas Stockdale

While doing a few social media posts on Facebook in various groups about my multimedia monotypes, I had a couple of individuals in an alt-photo/printmaking group suggest that if my underlying black and white was a printed via traditional inkjet printing, then what I was creating was not ‘entirely’ alternative photography, and was not allowed to be shared on that page. To clarify, they were not the group’s moderator, but thoughtful and self-deligent individuals who felt that they needed to ‘police’ the group. I subsequently checked with some others whose alt-photo opinions mattered and they all agree with me. Nevertheless, the idea of using other (pigment) image transfer techniques was intriguing as another means to experiment and explore my various concepts..

I quickly found out that the use of image transfers dates back to about the 1960’s (or maybe even later) and that there are about a dozen different methodologies that can work to some degree or another. One of the most readily commercial image transfer process in the United States is probably the line of products by inkAID. The inkAID process is also limited to their exclusive transfer films and transfer solutions (as is the others). Some of my friends have used inkAID and recommended I start using it.

Since I have a small inventory of inkjet printable (transfer) films, mostly from my cyanotype printing experiments, I first started to look for an alternative to inkAID. In my search I found Corinne Héraud’s pigment ink transfer process, that per her, would work with any inkjet printable film. Cool! I reinvested a recent honorarium for jurying an exhibition to take her on-line class (in French, but with very readable English subtitles, while it did help me with improvising my French, LoL). Regretfully, at the end of the workshop, while appearing that her process should work fine, were limitations that I felt would not work in my studio workshop. Specifically, her transfer solution needed to be heated and kept at a specific temperature to work.

So back to square one and order some inkAID materials; a sample packet of their ink jet printable transfer film and their magic elixir solution ‘Transferiez Medium”, also a side trip to the hardware store for some 91% isopropyl alcohol to dilute their transfer medium.

Following the inkAID instructions, and after a couple of what I consider ‘unsuccessful’ pigment ink transfers, I was able to complete my first acceptable pigment ink transfer print, above. hmmmm. Good start.

Since I had used up most of my sample pack of transfer film, I ordered a large quantity of their largest size individual sheets for more experimentation. fun, fun, fun.

Cheers!

Doug