Lithography is a method for printing using a plate or stone with a completely smooth surface. Printing is a process for reproducing text and image typically with ink on Paper using a printing press By contrast with intaglio printing which uses a plate that has been engraved (engraving), etched (etching) or stippled (mezzotint) to produce cavities to contain the printing ink, lithography simply uses oil or fat and gum arabic to divide the smooth surface into hydrophobic regions which accept the ink, and hydrophilic regions which reject it and become the background. Intaglio (pronounced in-TAL-yo ɪn'tælɪəʊ is a family of Printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface known as the matrix or plate Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it For other uses of etch or etching, see Etching (disambiguation, for the history of the method see Old master prints. Mezzotint is a Printmaking process of the intaglio family technically a Drypoint method An oil is a substance that is in a viscous Liquid state ( "oily") at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer and is Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water Gum arabic, a Natural gum also called gum acacia, and chaar gund or char goond (in India is the hardened Sap taken from two species In Chemistry, hydrophobicity (from the combining form of water in Attic Greek hydro- and for fear phobos) refers to the physical property of Hydrophile, from the Greek (hydros "water" and φιλια (philia "friendship" refers to a physical property of a Molecule Invented by Bavarian author Alois Senefelder in 1796,[1][2] it can be used to print text or artwork onto paper or another suitable material. Johann Alois Senefelder ( 6 November 1771, Prague &ndash 26 February 1834, Munich) was an Austrian Actor The word "lithography" also refers to photolithography, a microfabrication technique used to make integrated circuits and microelectromechanical systems, although those technique have more in common with etching than with lithography. Photolithography (also called optical lithography) is a process used in Microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film (or the bulk of a substrate Microfabrication or micromanufacturing are the terms to describe processes of fabrication of miniature structures of Micrometre sizes and smaller Microchipsjpg|right|thumb|200px|Microchips ( EPROM memory with a transparent window showing the integrated circuit inside Microelectromechanical systems ( MEMS) is the technology of the very small and merges at the nano-scale into Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS and Nanotechnology For other uses of etch or etching, see Etching (disambiguation, for the history of the method see Old master prints.
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Printing
The principle
Lithography is a printing process that uses chemical processes to create an image. For instance, the positive part of an image would be a hydrophobic chemical, while the negative image would be water. In Chemistry, hydrophobicity (from the combining form of water in Attic Greek hydro- and for fear phobos) refers to the physical property of Thus, when the plate is introduced to a compatible ink and water mixture, the ink will adhere to the positive image and the water will clean the negative image. This allows for a relatively flat print plate which allows for much longer runs than the older physical methods of imaging (e. g. , embossing or engraving). Embossing is the process of creating a three-dimensional image or design in Paper and other Ductile materials
The early process
Lithography was invented by Alois Senefelder - Czech - in Bohemia in 1796. Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Year 1796 ( MDCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year In the early days of lithography, a smooth piece of limestone was used (hence the name "lithography"—"lithos" (λιθος) is the ancient Greek word for stone). Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 After the oil-based image was put on the surface gum arabic, a water soluble solution, was then applied, sticking only to the non-oily surface and sealing it. Gum arabic, a Natural gum also called gum acacia, and chaar gund or char goond (in India is the hardened Sap taken from two species During printing, water adhered to the gum arabic surfaces and avoided the oily parts, while the oily ink used for printing did the opposite.
The chemical process
Lithography works because of the repulsion of oil and water. The image is drawn on the surface of the print plate with an oil-based medium (hydrophobic). The range of oil-based mediums is endless, but the dexterity of the image relies on the lipid content of the material being used--its ability to withstand water and acid. Lipids are broadly defined as any fat- Soluble ( lipophilic) naturally-occurring Molecule, such as fats oils waxes cholesterol sterols fat-soluble Following the placement of the image is the application of an acid emulsified with gum arabic. An emulsion ( IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ is a mixture of two Immiscible (unblendable liquids Gum arabic, a Natural gum also called gum acacia, and chaar gund or char goond (in India is the hardened Sap taken from two species The function of this emulsion is to create a salt layer directly around the image area. The salt layer seeps into the pores of the stone, completely enveloping the original image. This process is called etching. Using lithographic turpentine, the printer then removes the greasy drawing material, leaving only the salt layer; it is this salt layer which holds the skeleton of the image's original form. When printing, the stone or plate is kept wet with water. Naturally the water is attracted to the layer of salt created by the acid wash. Ink that bears a high lipid content is then rolled over the surface. The water repels the grease in the ink and the only place for it to go is the cavity left by the original drawing material. When the cavity is sufficiently full, the stone and paper are run through a press which applies even pressure over the surface, transferring the ink to the paper and off the stone.
Refinements
Senefelder had experimented in the early 1800s with multicolor lithography; in his 1819 book, he predicted that the process would eventually be perfected and used to reproduce paintings. [1] Multi-color printing was introduced through a new process developed by Godefroy Engelmann (France) in 1837 known as Chromolithography. Godfroy Engelmann was a 19th Cenutry Franco-German Artist Biography Godefroy Engelmann was born in 1788 in Mühlhausen, a small town near the France / This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Chromolithography is a method for making multi-color prints. This type of color printing stemmed from the process of Lithography, and it includes all types of lithography [1] A separate stone was used for each colour, and a print went through the press separately for each stone. The main challenge was of course to keep the images aligned (in register). Registration is a term used in the printing and Desktop publishing industry This method lent itself to images consisting of large areas of flat color, and led to the characteristic poster designs of this period.
The modern process
Modern high-volume lithography is used to produce posters, maps, books, newspapers, and packaging—just about any smooth, mass-produced item with print on it. Most books, indeed all types of high-volume text, are now printed using offset lithography. Offset printing is a commonly used Printing technique where the Inked image is transferred (or "offset" from a plate to a rubber blanket then to the
In fact the earliest regular use of lithography for text was in countries using Arabic, Turkish and similar scripts, where books, especially the Qu'ran, were sometimes printed by lithography in the nineteenth century, as the links between the characters require compromises when movable type is used which were considered inappropriate for sacred texts. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Movable type is the system of Printing and Typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual letters or punctuation [3]
In offset lithography, which depends on photographic processes, flexible aluminum or plastic printing plates are used in place of stone tablets. Modern printing plates have a brushed or roughened texture and are covered with a photosensitive emulsion. An emulsion ( IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ is a mixture of two Immiscible (unblendable liquids A photographic negative of the desired image is placed in contact with the emulsion and the plate is exposed to light. After development, the emulsion shows a reverse of the negative image, which is thus a duplicate of the original (positive) image. The image on the plate emulsion can also be created through direct laser imaging in a CTP (Computer-To-Plate) device called a platesetter. Computer to plate (CTP is an Imaging technology used in modern printing processes. The positive image is the emulsion that remains after imaging. For many years, chemicals have been used to remove the non-image emulsion, but now plates are available that do not require chemical processing.
The plate is affixed to a drum on a printing press. Rollers apply water, which covers the blank portions of the plate but is repelled by the emulsion of the image area. Ink, applied by other rollers, is repelled by the water and only adheres to the emulsion of the image area--such as the type and photographs on a newspaper page.
If this image were directly transferred to paper, it would create a positive image, but the paper would become too wet. Instead, the plate rolls against a drum covered with a rubber blanket, which squeezes away the water and picks up the ink. The paper rolls across the blanket drum and the image is transferred to the paper. Because the image is first transferred, or offset to the rubber drum, this reproduction method is known as offset lithography or offset printing. Offset printing is a commonly used Printing technique where the Inked image is transferred (or "offset" from a plate to a rubber blanket then to the
Many innovations and technical refinements have been made in printing processes and presses over the years, including the development of presses with multiple units (each containing one printing plate) that can print multi-color images in one pass on both sides of the sheet, and presses that accommodate continuous rolls (webs) of paper, known as web presses. A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium (such as paper or cloth thereby transferring an image Another innovation was the continuous dampening system first introduced by Dahlgren. This increased control over the water flow to the plate and allowed for better ink and water balance. Current dampening systems include a "delta effect" which slows the roller in contact with the plate, thus creating a sweeping movement over the ink image to clean impurities known as "hickies".
The advent of desktop publishing made it possible for type and images to be manipulated easily on personal computers for eventual printing on desktop or commercial presses. Desktop publishing (also known as DTP) combines a Personal computer and WYSIWYG page layout Software to create Publication Documents The development of digital imagesetters enabled print shops to produce negatives for platemaking directly from digital input, skipping the intermediate step of photographing an actual page layout. An imagesetter is an ultra-high resolution large-format computer output device The development of the digital platesetter in the late twentieth century eliminated film negatives altogether by exposing printing plates directly from digital input, a process known as computer to plate printing. A platesetter is a machine which receives a raster image from a Raster image processor and in turn creates a lithographic plate suitable for use on an Offset Computer to plate (CTP is an Imaging technology used in modern printing processes.
Microlithography and nanolithography
Microlithography and nanolithography refer specifically to lithographic patterning methods capable of structuring material on a fine scale. Photolithography (also called optical lithography) is a process used in Microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film (or the bulk of a substrate Nanolithography — or Photolithography at the Nanometer scale — refers to the fabrication of nanometer-scale structures, meaning patterns with at Typically features smaller than 10 micrometers are considered microlithographic, and features smaller than 100 nanometers are considered nanolithographic. A micrometre ( American spelling: micrometer; symbol µm) is one millionth of a Metre, or equivalently one thousandth of a Millimetre A nanometre ( American spelling: nanometer, symbol nm) ( Greek: νάνος nanos dwarf; μετρώ metrό count) is a Photolithography is one of these methods, often applied to semiconductor manufacturing of microchips. Photolithography (also called optical lithography) is a process used in Microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film (or the bulk of a substrate A semiconductor' is a Solid material that has Electrical conductivity in between a conductor and an insulator; it can vary over that Microchipsjpg|right|thumb|200px|Microchips ( EPROM memory with a transparent window showing the integrated circuit inside Photolithography is also commonly used in fabricating MEMS devices. Microelectromechanical systems ( MEMS) is the technology of the very small and merges at the nano-scale into Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS and Nanotechnology Photolithography generally uses a pre-fabricated photomask or reticle as a master from which the final pattern is derived.
Although photolithographic technology is the most commercially advanced form of nanolithography, other techniques are also used. Some, for example electron beam lithography, are capable of much higher patterning resolution (sometime as small as a few nanometers). Electron beam lithography (often abbreviated as e-beam lithography) is the practice of scanning a beam of Electrons in a patterned fashion across a surface covered Electron beam lithography is also commercially important, primarily for its use in the manufacture of photomasks. Electron beam lithography (often abbreviated as e-beam lithography) is the practice of scanning a beam of Electrons in a patterned fashion across a surface covered Electron beam lithography as it is usually practiced is a form of maskless lithography, in that no mask is required to generate the final pattern. Electron beam lithography (often abbreviated as e-beam lithography) is the practice of scanning a beam of Electrons in a patterned fashion across a surface covered In maskless lithography, Radiation used to expose the photosensitive emulsion (or Photoresist) is not projected from or transmitted through a Photomask Instead the final pattern is created directly from a digital representation on a computer, by controlling an electron beam as it scans across a resist-coated substrate. Resist is also an album by Kosheen and a song by Rush In Semiconductor fabrication, " resist " refers to both
In addition to these commercially well-established techniques, a large number of promising microlithographic and nanolithographic technologies exist or are emerging, including nanoimprint lithography, interference lithography, X-ray lithography, extreme ultraviolet lithography, and scanning probe lithography. Nanolithography — or Photolithography at the Nanometer scale — refers to the fabrication of nanometer-scale structures, meaning patterns with at Nanoimprint lithography is a novel method of fabricating nanometer scale patterns Interference lithography (or holographic lithography) is a technique for patterning regular arrays of fine features without the use of complex optical systems or X-ray lithography is a next generation Lithography that has been developed for the Semiconductor industry Extreme ultraviolet lithography (also known as EUV or EUVL) is a Next-generation lithography technology using Scanning probe lithography describe a set of lithographic methods in which a microscopic or nanoscopic stylus is moved mechanically across a surface to form a pattern Some of these emerging techniques have been used successfully in small-scale commercial and important research applications.
As an artistic medium
During the first years of the nineteenth century, lithography made only a limited impact on printmaking, mainly because technical difficulties remained to be overcome. Bertrand-Jean Redon, better known as Odilon Redon ( April 20, 1840 &ndash July 6, 1916) was a Symbolist painter and Printmaking is the Process of making artworks by Printing, normally on Paper. Germany was the main centre of production during this period. Godefroy Engelmann, who moved his press from Mulhouse to Paris in 1816, largely succeeded in resolving the technical problems, and in the 1820s lithography was taken up by artists such as Delacroix and Géricault. Mulhouse (Mulhouse myluz Alsatian: Milhüsa or Milhüse, pronounced; Mülhausen i Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (26 April 1798 &ndash 13 August 1863 was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of Théodore Géricault ( September 26, 1791 &ndash January 26, 1824) was an important French painter and lithographer known for London also became a centre, and some of Géricault's prints were in fact produced there. Goya in Bordeaux produced his last series of prints in lithography - The Bulls of Bordeaux of 1828. The year 1828 ( MDCCCXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap By the mid-century the initial enthusiasm had somewhat died down in both countries, although lithography continued to gain ground in commercial applications, which included the great prints of Daumier, published in newspapers. Honoré Daumier ( February 26, 1808 &ndash February 10, 1879) was a French Printmaker, Caricaturist, Rodolphe Bresdin and Jean-Francois Millet also continued to practice the medium in France, and Adolf Menzel in Germany. Jean-François Millet ( October 4, 1814 &ndash January 20, 1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel, ( December 8, 1815 Breslau - February 9, 1905 Berlin) was a German
In 1862 the publisher Cadart tried to launch a portfolio of lithographs by various artists which flopped, but included several superb prints by Manet. The revival began in the 1870s, especially in France with artists such as Odilon Redon, Henri Fantin-Latour and Degas producing much of their work in this way. Bertrand-Jean Redon, better known as Odilon Redon ( April 20, 1840 &ndash July 6, 1916) was a Symbolist painter and Henri Fantin-Latour ( January 14, 1836 - August 25, 1904) was a French painter and lithographer. The need for strictly limited editions to maintain the price had now been realized, and the medium become more accepted. In Printmaking, an edition is a number of prints struck from one plate usually at the same point in time
In the 1890s colour lithography became enormously popular with French artists, Toulouse-Lautrec most notably of all, and by 1900 the medium in both colour and monotone was an accepted part of printmaking, although France and the US have used it more than other countries. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (ɑ̃ʁi dø tuluz loˈtʁɛk (24 November 1864 &ndash 9 September 1901 was a French painter, printmaker, draftsman George Bellows, Alphonse Mucha, Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns, David Hockney and Robert Rauschenberg are a few of the artists who have produced most of their prints in the medium. George Wesley Bellows ( August 12 or August 19, 1882 - January 8, 1925) was an American painter, known for his Alphonse Maria Mucha ( 24 July, 1860 &ndash 14 July, 1939) was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973 Jasper Johns Jr (born May 15, 1930 in Augusta Georgia) is a contemporary American artist who primarily works in painting and Printmaking David Hockney, CH, RA, (born 9 July 1937 is an English Artist, based in Los Angeles California, United States M.C. Escher is considered a master in lithography, and many of his prints were created using this process. Maurits Cornelis Escher (17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972 usually referred to as M More than other printmaking techniques, printmakers in lithography still largely depend on access to a good printer, and the development of the medium has been greatly influenced by when and where these have been established. See the List of Printmakers for more practitioners. List of Printmakers Artists who engaged significantly in Printmaking.
As a special form of lithography, the Serilith process is sometimes used. Serilith are mixed media original prints created in a process where an artist uses the lithograph and serigraph process. Lithography is a method for Printing using a plate or stone with a completely smooth surface Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil The separations for both processes are hand drawn by the artist. The serilith technique is used primarily to create fine art limited print editions. [4]
References
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This article is part of the series on the |
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| Technologies | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phaistos Disc | 1850–1400 BC | |
| Woodblock printing | 200 AD | |
| Movable type | 1040 | |
| Intaglio | 1430s | |
| Printing press | 1439 | |
| Lithography | 1796 | |
| Offset press | by 1800s | |
| Chromolithography | 1837 | |
| Rotary press | 1843 | |
| Flexography | 1890s | |
| Screen-printing | 1907 | |
| Dye-sublimation | 1957 | |
| Photocopier | 1960s | |
| Pad printing | 1960s | |
| Laser printer | 1969 | |
| Dot matrix printer | 1970 | |
| Thermal printer | ||
| Inkjet printer | 1976 | |
| Digital press | 1993 | |
| 3D printing | ||
- ^ a b c Meggs, Philip B. The history of printing began as an attempt to make easier and reduce the cost of reproducing multiple copies of documents fabrics wall papers and so on The Phaistos Disc ( Phaistos Disk, Phaestos Disc) is a disk of fired Clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos, possibly dating For the use of the technique in art see Woodcut on the technique and Old master print for the history in Europe and Woodblock printing in Japan. Movable type is the system of Printing and Typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual letters or punctuation Intaglio (pronounced in-TAL-yo ɪn'tælɪəʊ is a family of Printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface known as the matrix or plate A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium (such as paper or cloth thereby transferring an image Offset printing is a commonly used Printing technique where the Inked image is transferred (or "offset" from a plate to a rubber blanket then to the Chromolithography is a method for making multi-color prints. This type of color printing stemmed from the process of Lithography, and it includes all types of lithography A rotary printing press is a Printing press in which the images to be printed are curved around a cylinder Flexography (also called surface printing) often abbreviated to flexo, is a method of Printing most commonly used for packaging (labels tape bags Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil A dye-sublimation printer (or dye-sub printer) is a Computer printer which employs a printing process that uses heat to transfer dye to a medium such as a plastic A photocopier (or copier is a machine that makes Paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply Pad printing is a printing process that can transfer a 2-D image onto a 3-D object A laser printer is a common type of Computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper A dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer refers to a type of Computer printer with a print head that runs back and forth on the page and prints by impact striking For the type of printer which uses sparks and aluminised paper (and is sometimes referred to as a "thermal printer" see Spark printer. Inkjet printers operate by propelling variably-sized droplets of liquid or molten material ( Ink) onto almost any sized page Digital printing is the reproduction of Digital images on a physical surface 3D printing is a category of Rapid prototyping technology A three dimensional object is created by layering and connecting successive cross sections of material A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146 ISBN 0-471-291-98-6
- ^ Carter, Rob, Ben Day, Philip Meggs. Typographic Design: Form and Communication, Third Edition. (2002) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 11
- ^ Qu'ran translations
- ^ What is a Serilith?
See also
- Photochrom
- Printmaking
- Letterpress printing
- Block printing
- Flexography
- Etching (disambiguation)
- Color printing
- Lineography
- Rotogravure
- Typography
External links
- Åke Westins Ateljé, Swedish lithography artist
- Museum of Modern Art information on printing techniques and examples of prints
- The Invention of Lithography, Aloys Senefelder, (Eng. Photochrom is a lithographic print process used to generate Colorized images from black and white Photographic negatives and is despite the name Printmaking is the Process of making artworks by Printing, normally on Paper. Letterpress printing is a term for Printing text with Movable type, in which the raised surface of the type is Inked and then pressed against a smooth For the use of the technique in art see Woodcut on the technique and Old master print for the history in Europe and Woodblock printing in Japan. Flexography (also called surface printing) often abbreviated to flexo, is a method of Printing most commonly used for packaging (labels tape bags Lineography is the Art of drawing without lifting the pen pencil or paintbrush that is being used Gravure may also refer to Gravure idol. Rotogravure ( roto or gravure for short is a type of intaglio Printing Typography is the art and techniques of arranging type, Type design, and modifying type Glyphs Type glyphs are created and modified using a variety trans. 1911)(a searchable facsimile at the University of Georgia Libraries; DjVu and layered PDF format)
- Theo De Smedt's website, author of "What's lithography"
- Extensive information on Honoré Daumier and his life and work, including his entire output of lithographs
- Digital work catalog to 4000 lithographs and 1000 wood engravings
- Detailed examination of the processes involved in the creation of a typical scholarly lithographic illustration in the 19th century
- Nederlands Steendrukmuseum
- Delacroix's Faust lithographs at the Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University
Dictionary
lithography
-noun
- The process of printing a lithograph on a hard, flat surface; originally the printing surface was a flat piece of stone that was etched with acid to form a surface that would selectively transfer ink to the paper; the stone has now been replaced, in general, with a metal plate.
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