PAR DIY Lumen Kit Postcard is a lumen print kit, an experimental photographic technique that uses sunlight and photosensitive paper to create images without a camera or darkroom. It is closely related to photograms and sun prints, where the paper is already light-sensitive and reacts directly to exposure.
The process blends photography, botanical printing and mixed media experimentation. Place leaves, flowers, feathers, lace, paper cut-outs, objects or transparent negatives onto the photosensitive paper and expose it to sunlight. Areas that receive more light will shift in colour, while areas covered or filtered by objects will leave behind silhouettes, outlines and softer tonal transitions. The outcome is never fully predictable, which is part of its creative appeal.
Lumen prints can reveal unexpected colour variations such as pink, purple, beige, grey, golden or brown tones, depending on sunlight intensity, exposure time, materials used and the paper itself. Each postcard is unique, even when using similar compositions.
Designed specifically for postcard creation, this kit is ideal for creators who enjoy mail art, journaling, scrapbooking and handmade cards with a meaningful creative process behind them. The finished prints can be used as standalone postcards, incorporated into scrapbook layouts, added to art journals, used in collage or kept as small photographic studies capturing the relationship between nature, light and time.
After exposure, you can stabilise the image using the included fixer to help preserve the result more clearly over time.
👉 Features:
- DIY lumen print kit by PAR / Print Art Read
- Creates 12 photographic postcards
- Experimental sunlight-based photographic technique
- No camera, chemical coating or darkroom required
- Paper is already photosensitive
- Produces organic impressions from leaves, flowers, objects or transparencies
- Results may include pink, purple, beige, grey, golden or brown tones
- Each print is unique and unpredictable
- Includes fixer for image stabilisation
- Includes step-by-step instructions in 8 languages
- Suitable for mail art, scrapbooking, art journals, mixed media and creative workshops
📐 Contents:
- 12 photosensitive papers, 10 x 15 cm
- 12 postcard backs, 10 x 15 cm
- 1 sachet of powdered fixer to mix with water
- Label for the prepared fixer bottle
- Gloves
- 2 trays for the process
- Funnel
- Step-by-step instructions and tips in 8 languages
👍 Ideal for:
Lumen print, experimental photography, sun prints, camera-less photography, botanical prints, plant impressions, mail art, handmade postcards, scrapbooking, art journals, mixed media, collage, junk journals, nature journaling, workshops, creative gifts, supervised photography experiments with children, creators interested in alternative photographic techniques and projects combining nature, light and paper
✨ Inspiration Tip:
Create a small series of 3 postcards inspired by the same walk. Collect one leaf, one small wildflower and one thin twig, place them on three different photosensitive papers and keep the same exposure time for each. Then attach the postcard backs and write the date, location and a few words about the moment. This way, your cards become a small archive of light, not just botanical prints.
