Printstone is found in the Hamersley Ranges near the iron ore mining town of Tom Price in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
It occurs in the “Mount McRae Shale” within the Hamersley Basin. Age is approx. 2000 Ma.

Some studies indicate that the unusual markings possibly have stromatolitic origins, some even going so far as naming it as “Kinneyia Simulans”.
Another theory suggests they are Liesegang rings. Banded minerals and rocks, such as Printstone, were formed or rearranged by long-lasting processes of transport, chemical reaction and precipitation or crystallization. Due to this range of processes, a great variety of textures can occur.

Printstone is fashioned into many items such as jewellery, carvings and ornaments.