Photogravure studio with printmaker and etching presses

Steffen Dibke

I hold a master's degree in Economic Geography (M.A.) and worked for several years in the innovation and startup ecosystem (including in Silicon Valley). I came to printmaking in a roundabout way – but a passion for photography was with me from early on. With my grandfather's camera, I made my first attempts at analog photography. Lacking access to a darkroom, I explored alternative photographic and graphic print processes – and thus came across photogravure. After leaving my last employment and completing an extended journey through Europe, I founded photogravure.studio in Schwerte an der Ruhr at the end of 2025 – the first studio in Germany specializing in photogravure.

Exhibitions & Awards

  • 2026 – Exhibition at the Paper Print Festival at the IBKK Design and Art Center Bochum

  • 2026 – Selection for the 6th International Print Biennale in Yerevan, Armenia

  • 2026 – Exhibition and printing demonstration at the Hot Printing Festival at the Klingspor Museum Offenbach

  • 2026 – Selection for the exhibition in the Ironbridge Fine Arts Printmaking Competition, UK

  • 2026 – Opening exhibition photogravure.studio together with Fotografie Forum Ruhr, Schwerte


Portrait of Printmaker smiling

The Studio

photogravure.studio was born from the idea and conviction that photos should once again be printed with a focus on craftsmanship. The characteristic feature of a photogravure print is that it has thick layers of ink in the dark areas and very thin layers in the light areas, which gives it a very wide and rich scale of gray and black tones.

In the traditional photogravure (heliogravure) process, the image is exposed onto a photosensitive gelatin-carbon tissue, and the exposed gelatin is then transferred to an aquatint-dusted copper plate. The plate is then etched in a series of acid baths of decreasing strength, creating a plate with deep recesses in the dark areas and shallower recesses in the lighter areas.
Around 1980, industrial photosensitive polymer plates entered the market. They were designed for letterpress printing, but printmakers soon realized that when used for intaglio printing, they possessed the same printing characteristics as classic photogravure plates.
Through technological progress and new process approaches, photogravure is slowly re-establishing itself in the world of fine art photo prints. photogravure.studio is the first and so far only studio in Germany to offer this process.

In my process, I use Direct-to-Plate (DTP) photogravure on polymer plates because it allows me maximum control over tonal values and image impact – without losing the character of classic intaglio printing. Each print is created through the careful coordination of digital preparation, UV exposure, washing out, and the actual hand printing on the press.

For me, photogravure means:

  • Deceleration instead of mass production

  • Precision instead of automation

  • Materiality instead of surface

Printmaking is a collaborative process.
In close cooperation, translations of photos into the medium of print are created – precise, reduced, and conscious of the materials. Artists and photographers bring their image ideas, and together they are further developed in the studio. Collaborative printmaking means: exchange, responsibility, and a shared understanding of quality. Furthermore, the traditional artistic printing techniques of relief, intaglio, planographic, stencil printing, and their mixed forms have been a UNESCO Cultural Heritage in Germany since 2018.

photogravure.studio was born from the idea and conviction that photos should once again be printed with a focus on craftsmanship. The characteristic feature of a photogravure print is that it has thick layers of ink in the dark areas and very thin layers in the light areas, which gives it a very wide and rich scale of gray and black tones.

In the traditional photogravure (heliogravure) process, the image is exposed onto a photosensitive gelatin-carbon tissue, and the exposed gelatin is then transferred to an aquatint-dusted copper plate. The plate is then etched in a series of acid baths of decreasing strength, creating a plate with deep recesses in the dark areas and shallower recesses in the lighter areas.
Around 1980, industrial photosensitive polymer plates entered the market. They were designed for letterpress printing, but printmakers soon realized that when used for intaglio printing, they possessed the same printing characteristics as classic photogravure plates.
Through technological progress and new process approaches, photogravure is slowly re-establishing itself in the world of fine art photo prints. photogravure.studio is the first and so far only studio in Germany to offer this process.

In my process, I use Direct-to-Plate (DTP) photogravure on polymer plates because it allows me maximum control over tonal values and image impact – without losing the character of classic intaglio printing. Each print is created through the careful coordination of digital preparation, UV exposure, washing out, and the actual hand printing on the press.

For me, photogravure means:

  • Deceleration instead of mass production

  • Precision instead of automation

  • Materiality instead of surface

Printmaking is a collaborative process.
In close cooperation, translations of photos into the medium of print are created – precise, reduced, and conscious of the materials. Artists and photographers bring their image ideas, and together they are further developed in the studio. Collaborative printmaking means: exchange, responsibility, and a shared understanding of quality. Furthermore, the traditional artistic printing techniques of relief, intaglio, planographic, stencil printing, and their mixed forms have been a UNESCO Cultural Heritage in Germany since 2018.

photogravure.studio is born out of the idea and conviction that photos should once again be printed with a more hands-on, artisanal approach. The characteristic feature of a photogravure print is that it has thick layers of ink in the dark areas and very thin layers in the light areas, giving it a very wide and rich scale of grey and black tones.

In the traditional photogravure process, the image is exposed onto a photosensitive gelatin carbon tissue, and the exposed gelatin is then transferred to an aquatint-grounded copper plate. The plate is subsequently etched in a series of acid baths of decreasing strength, creating a plate with deep recessions in the dark areas and shallower recessions in the lighter areas.
Around 1980, industrial photosensitive polymer plates entered the market. They were designed for letterpress printing, but printmakers soon realized that when used for intaglio printing, they exhibited the same printing characteristics as classic photogravure plates.
Through technological progress and new process approaches, photogravure is slowly re-establishing itself in the world of fine art photo prints. photogravure.studio is the first and so far only studio in Germany to offer this process.

In my process, I use Direct-to-Plate (DTP) photogravure on polymer plates because it allows me maximum control over tonal values and image impact – without losing the character of classic intaglio printing. Each print is created through careful coordination of digital preparation, UV exposure, washing-out, and the actual hand printing on the press.

For me, photogravure means:

  • Deceleration instead of mass production

  • Precision instead of automation

  • Materiality instead of surface

Printmaking is a collaborative process.
In close cooperation, translations of photos into the medium of print are created – precise, reduced, and aware of the material. Artists and photographers bring their image ideas, and together they are further developed in the studio. Collaborative printmaking means exchange, responsibility, and a shared understanding of quality.