Carbon pigment based printing process. Printed using piezo technology. Independantly tested by the RIT institute which estimated longevity at 100+ years (on paper). Because the pigments are based on lamp black carbon (the same material used in cave paintings thousands of years old) these prints are extremely archival.
The variable tone BW process is a true dedicated black and white printing system. The ink set utilizes one pure high-density black plus two sets of gray ink. One set is comprised of three warm gray shades and the other set three cool gray shades. Our software controls the mixing of grays and also allows us to print anything from a cool black to a warm (almost sepia) black and any shade or tone of gray in between.
The Vari-Tone system also allows Century Editions to print true duotone prints. Because virtually all printers print black and white prints in 8 bit mode they are limited to a maximum of 256 shades of gray. Our system is one of the only systems in the world capable of printing in true 16 bit mode and can specify over 65,000 shades of gray.
This technology yields prints that have an apparent resolution of almost 10,000 dpi and can reproduce a greater amount of gray shades than any other black and white printer in the world.
This quality is way beyond the ability of the human eye to discern but does ensure an absolutely stunning black and white giclée print. This process is especially suitable for pencil or charcoal drawings, engravings, etchings and fine art black and white photography, . Variable tone BW prints can be hand colored after printing. Variable tone BW prints are available on a variety of coated papers and canvas up to 42 inch x 120 inches.
