Silicon carbide is used in carborundum printmaking – a collagraph printmaking technique. Carborundum grit is applied in a paste to the surface of an aluminium plate. When the paste is dry, ink is applied and trapped in its granular surface, then wiped from the bare areas of the plate. The ink plate is then printed onto paper in a rolling-bed press used for intaglio printmaking. The result is a print of painted marks embossed into the paper.
Carborundum grit is also used in stone Lithography. Its uniform particle size allows it to be used to "Grain" a stone which removes the previous image. In a similar process to sanding, coarser grit Carborundum is applied to the stone and worked with a Levigator, typically a round plate eccentric on a perpendicular shaft, then gradually finer and finer grit is applied until the stone is clean. This creates a grease sensitive surface.