Lithography is a planographic printing method based on the mutual repulsion of oil and water, in which an image is drawn onto a flat surface, typically a stone, with a greasy medium and then transferred using ink that adheres to the greasy areas and is repelled by dampened blank areas. The German author and actor Alois Senefelder invented the technique in 1796 in the Electorate of Bavaria, and it was initially used mostly for musical scores and maps. The process later became fundamental to commercial printing, especially through the offset lithography developments of the 20th century that made it central to producing books, magazines and newspapers.
Facts
YearSourced to the subject's own account SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountLithography, invented by Alois Senefelder in the Electorate of Bavaria in 1796, became the basis of modern offset lithography. Since the 1960s most books and magazines, especially those illustrated in colour, have been printed by offset lithography from photographically created plates. 1 FAQs
Why does lithography print from a flat surface without any cutting or engraving?
Because the image is made of grease and the blank areas hold water that repels ink.
Lithography is a planographic printing process, which means the image sits on a flat surface instead of being cut into it or raised from it. The process relies on grease and water not mixing. The image is drawn with a greasy material, so ink adheres to the grease-treated image on the flat printing surface, while the blank areas retain moisture and repel the ink. The inked surface is then pressed against paper, so the difference between the greasy and wet areas does the work that depth does in engraving.
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Source Lithography (Wikipedia)
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1. Lithography (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead paragraph 1
It was invented in 1796 by the German author and actor Alois Senefelder and was initially used mostly for musical scores and maps.
Lead paragraph 3
since the 1960s, most books and magazines, especially when illustrated in colour, are printed with offset lithography from photographically created metal plates
Lead section
It was invented in 1796 by the German author and actor Alois Senefelder
In Field: Chemical Engineering, Introduction
The stone was then treated with a mixture of weak acid and gum arabic ("etch") that made the parts of the stone's surface that were not protected by the grease more hydrophilic (water attracting).
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