This article describes several applications and methods using the X pinch as a source of X-ray radiation for the radiography of dense plasma objects. These methods, in general, do not use pinholes, and instead take the advantage of the small size (<1 mm, and in some cases <3 mm) and a short X-ray emission duration (<1 ns) of the radiation source produced by an X pinch. Two of these methods, monochromatic and direct point-projection backlighting, are discussed. Experimental images of exploding wires and wire arrays obtained on the BIN, XP, and MAGPIE generators using these techniques are presented. Also included are detailed measurements made on the XP generator of the emission characteristics of X pinches using different wire materials.