The collotype was originally invented in 1855 by the Frenchman Alphonse- Louis Poitevin, who developed a process of printing continuous-tone photographs using pigment ink. Especially suited for printing in books, the process became the first choice for photographic reproduction in Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The process arrived in Japan through Kyoto in the 1880’s, where Benrido began producing in 1905. Collotypes we frequently used to reproduce historical images and documents, most notably the 12 full-color wall paintings from Horyu-Ji.
The collotype print is a perfect union of photography and printmaking, quality and versatility. Since the invention of the process approximately 150 years ago and through countless technological advancements, it has stood as the standard of excellence that every printed image strives to attain.