Lithography is a method for printing on a smooth surface. It is simular to transfers in a way that it can tranfer onto a stone, piece of paper, and many more materials. 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. It can also refer to photolithography, a microfabrication technique used to make integrated circuits and microelectromechanical systems. For other uses, see Print. ... Alois Senefelder (November 6, 1771 _ February 26, 1834) was a German inventor. ... Photolithography is a process used in semiconductor device fabrication to transfer a pattern from a photomask (also called reticle) to the surface of a substrate. ... Microfabrication is the collective term for the technologies used to fabricate components on a micrometer-sized scale. ... An integrated circuit (IC) is a thin chip consisting of at least two interconnected semiconductor devices, mainly transistors, as well as passive components like resistors. ... A mite less than 1 mm on a MEMS device. ...

Lithography stone and mirror-image print of a map of Munich.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2294x1025, 504 KB) Two pictures showing the negative litography stone and the resulting positive print, with an old map of Munich. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2294x1025, 504 KB) Two pictures showing the negative litography stone and the resulting positive print, with an old map of Munich. ...

Printing

The principle

Lithography press for printing maps in Munich.

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. 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). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 526 KB) Litography printing press Steinhandhebelpresse Krause 1934 in the Landesamt für Vermessung und Geoinformation, a map of Moosburg is in place and prepared for printing. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 526 KB) Litography printing press Steinhandhebelpresse Krause 1934 in the Landesamt für Vermessung und Geoinformation, a map of Moosburg is in place and prepared for printing. ... In chemistry, hydrophobic or lipophilic species, or hydrophobes, tend to be electrically neutral and nonpolar, and thus prefer other neutral and nonpolar solvents or molecular environments. ...

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. Following the placement of the image is the application of an acid emulsified with gum arabic. 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. Some common lipids. ... An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible substances. ... Acacia senegal plant from Koehlers Medicinal-Plants 1887 Gum arabic, a natural gum also called gum acacia, is a substance that is taken from two sub-Saharan species of the acacia tree, Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. ...

The early process

An example of lithography, 1902 (original size 33×24 cm).

Sea anemones from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur (Artforms of Nature) of 1904.

Lithography was invented by Alois Senefelder in Bohemia in 1796. 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). After the oil-based image was put on the surface, acid burned the image onto the surface; gum arabic, a water soluble solution, was then applied, sticking only to the non-oily surface and sealing it. During printing, water adhered to the gum arabic surfaces and avoided the oily parts, while the oily ink used for printing did the opposite. Download high resolution version (2572x3522, 1315 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2572x3522, 1315 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2276x3244, 2258 KB) HOOP The 49th plate from Ernst Haeckels Kunstformen der Natur of 1904, showing various sea anemones classified as Actiniae. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2276x3244, 2258 KB) HOOP The 49th plate from Ernst Haeckels Kunstformen der Natur of 1904, showing various sea anemones classified as Actiniae. ... Ernst Haeckel. ... The 8th print, Discomedusae. ... Alois Senefelder (November 6, 1771 _ February 26, 1834) was a German inventor. ... Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ... Acacia senegal plant from Koehlers Medicinal-Plants 1887 Gum arabic, a natural gum also called gum acacia, is a substance that is taken from two sub-Saharan species of the acacia tree, Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. ...

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.^[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). This method lent itself to images consisting of large areas of flat color, and led to the characteristic poster designs of this period. Godfroy Engelmann was a 19th Cenutry Franco-German Artist. ... Folding Card, The Old Woman Who Lived in A Shoe, 6 April 1883. ...

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.

In this form of 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. 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. 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. A. Two immisicible liquids, not emulsified; B. An emulsion of Phase B dispersed in Phase A; C. The unstable emulsion progressively separates; D. The surfactant (purple outline) positions itself on the interfaces between Phase A and Phase B, stabilizing the emulsion An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible (unblendable...

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 widely used printing technique where the inked image is transferred (or offset) from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. ...

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. 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 printing press is a mechanical device for printing many copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. ...

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. 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. 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. Adobe InDesign CS2, one of many popular desktop publishing applications. ... An imagesetter is an ultra-high resolution large-format computer output device. ... A platesetter is a machine which configures a lithographic plate. ... Computer to plate (CTP) is an imaging technology used in modern printing processes. ...

Microlithography and nanolithography

Main article: Photolithography

Microlithography and nanolithography refer specifically to lithographic patterning methods capable of structuring material on a fine scale. Typically features smaller than 10 micrometers are considered microlithographic, and features smaller than 100 nanometers are considered nanolithographic. Photolithography is one of these methods, often applied to semiconductor manufacturing of microchips. Photolithography is also commonly used in fabricating MEMS devices. Photolithography generally uses a pre-fabricated photomask or reticle as a master from which the final pattern is derived. Photolithography is a process used in semiconductor device fabrication to transfer a pattern from a photomask (also called reticle) to the surface of a substrate. ... Nanolithography — or lithography at the nanometer scale — refers to the fabrication of nanometer-scale structures, meaning patterns with at least one lateral dimension between the size of an individual atom and approximately 100 nm. ... A micrometre (American spelling: micrometer), symbol µm, is an SI unit of length. ... A nanometre (American spelling: nanometer) is 1. ... Photolithography is a process used in semiconductor device fabrication to transfer a pattern from a photomask (also called reticle) to the surface of a substrate. ... A semiconductor is a solid whose electrical conductivity is in between that of a conductor and that of an insulator, and can be controlled over a wide range, either permanently or dynamically. ... Integrated circuit of Atmel Diopsis 740 System on Chip showing memory blocks, logic and input/output pads around the periphery Microchips with a transparent window, showing the integrated circuit inside. ... A mite less than 1 mm on a MEMS device. ...

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 is also commercially important, primarily for its use in the manufacture of photomasks. 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. 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. // Conventional electron-beam lithography The practice of using a beam of electrons to generate patterns on a surface is known as Electron beam lithography. ... // Conventional electron-beam lithography The practice of using a beam of electrons to generate patterns on a surface is known as Electron beam lithography. ... // Conventional electron-beam lithography The practice of using a beam of electrons to generate patterns on a surface is known as Electron beam lithography. ... In maskless lithography the light used to expose the photosensitive emulsion (or photoresist) is confined to a narrow beam. ... In semiconductor fabrication, resist refers to both: A thin layer used to transfer a circuit pattern to the semiconductor substrate which it is deposited upon. ...

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. Some of these emerging techniques have been used successfully in small-scale commercial and important research applications. Nanolithography — or lithography at the nanometer scale — refers to the fabrication of nanometer-scale structures, meaning patterns with at least one lateral dimension between the size of an individual atom and approximately 100 nm. ... 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 masks. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Extreme ultraviolet lithography (also known as EUV or EUVL) is a next-generation lithography technology using the 13. ... Scanning probe lithography describe a set of lithographic methods in which a microscopic stylus is mechanically moved across a surface to form a pattern, either by mechanically deforming a soft film on the surface nanoindent lithography, designed for this purpose, or by transferring a chemical species too the surface dip...

Lithography as an artistic medium

Smiling Spider by Odilon Redon

During the first years of the nineteenth century, lithography made only a limited impact on printmaking, mainly because technical difficulties remained to be overcome. 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 1820's lithography was taken up by artists such as Delacroix and Géricault. 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. 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. Rodolphe Bresdin and Jean-Francois Millet also continued to practice the medium in France, and Adolf Menzel in Germany. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (808x1021, 229 KB)Photograph of The Smiling Spider, 1881, by Odilon Redon in the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (808x1021, 229 KB)Photograph of The Smiling Spider, 1881, by Odilon Redon in the public domain. ... Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. ... Mulhouse (French: Mulhouse, pronounced ; Alsatian: Milhüsa; German: Mülhausen) is a town and commune in eastern France close to Swiss and German border. ... Eugène Delacroix (portrait by Nadar) Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (April 26, 1798 - August 13, 1863) was an important painter from the French romantic period. ... Théodore Géricaults Insane Théodore Géricault (September 26, 1791 in Rouen, Normandy - January 26, 1824) was a famous French painter, known for The Raft of the Medusa and other paintings. ... This article is about Francisco Goya, a Spanish painter. ... Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Honoré Daumier (portrait by Nadar) Honoré Daumier (1808 - 1879) was a French caricaturist and painter. ... Jean-Fran ois Millet (October 4, 1814 - January 20, 1875) was a painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France. ... Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel (8 December 1815-9 February 1905) was a German artist noted for drawings, engravings, and paintings. ...

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 1870's, especially in France with artists such as Odilon Redon, Henri Fantin-Latour and Degas producing much of their work in this way. The need for strictly limited editions to maintain the price had now been realized, and the medium become more accepted. Édouard Manet - 19th century French painter Mobile_ad-hoc_network - A self configuring wireless network This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Self portrait, 1880, Musée dOrsay. ... Self Portrait by Henri Fantin-Latour (1859), at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Grenoble Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Henri Fantin-Latour Henri Fantin-Latour (January 14, 1836 - August 25, 1904) was a French painter and lithographer. ... Edgar Degas (July 19, 1834 - September 27, 1917) was a French painter and sculptor. ... In printmaking, an edition is a set of prints off one plate, composing a limited run of prints. ...

In the 1890's 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. 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. 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. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (November 24, 1864 - September 9, 1901) was a French painter. ... George Bellows George Wesley Bellows (August 19, 1882 - January 8, 1925) was an American painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City. ... Alfons Mucha (July 24, 1860 - July 14, 1939) was a Czech painter and decorative artist. ... “Picasso” redirects here. ... Jasper Johnss Map, 1961 Jasper Johnss Flag, Encaustic, oil and collage on fabric mounted on plywood,1954-55 Detail of Flag (1954-55). ... We Two Boys Together Clinging, 1961. ... Robert Rauschenberg, Canyon, 1959. ... 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. The separations for both processes are hand drawn by the artist. The serilith technique is used primarily to create fine art limited print editions.^[3] Lithography is a method for printing on a smooth surface, as well as a method of manufacturing semiconductor and MEMS devices. ... Screen-printing, also known as silkscreening or serigraphy, is a printmaking technique that creates a sharp-edged single-color image using a stencil and a porous fabric. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146 ISBN 0-471-291-98-6
2. ^ Carter, Rob, Ben Day, Philip Meggs. Typographic Design: Form and Communication, Third Edition. (2002) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 11
3. ^ What is a Serilith?

The Phaistos Disc (Phaistos Disk, Phaestos Disc) is a curious archaeological find, likely dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age. ... Yuan Dynasty woodblock edition of a Chinese play 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. ... For the weblog software, see Movable Type. ... The printing press is a mechanical device for printing many copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Intaglio printing. ... Folding Card, The Old Woman Who Lived in A Shoe, 6 April 1883. ... Offset printing is a widely used printing technique where the inked image is transferred (or offset) from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. ... Screen-printing, also known as silkscreening or serigraphy, is a printmaking technique that creates a sharp-edged single-color image using a stencil and a porous fabric. ... A flexographic printing plate. ... A thermal printer (or direct thermal printer) produces a printed image by selectively heating coated thermochromic paper, or thermal paper as it is commonly known, when the paper passes over the thermal print head. ... A small, much-used Xerox copier in a high school library. ... 1993 Apple LaserWriter Pro 630 laser printer 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 an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like a typewriter. ... An Epson inkjet printer Inkjet printers are a type of computer printer that operates by propelling tiny droplets of liquid ink onto paper. ... Samsung SPP-2040 working. ... Digital printing is the reproduction of digital images on physical surface, such as common or photographic paper, film, cloth, plastic, etc. ... Three-dimensional printing is a method of converting a virtual 3D model into a physical object. ...

See also

• Photochrom
• Printmaking
• Letterpress printing
• Block printing
• Flexography
• Etching (disambiguation)
• Color printing
• Lineography
• Rotogravure
• Typography

This photochrom illustrates Hildesheim town hall in the 1890s, and shows the evocative coloration characteristic of the process. ... Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. ... Letterpress printing is the oldest printing technique, in which a raised surface is inked and then pressed against a smooth substance to obtain an image in reverse. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Woodblock printing. ... A flexographic printing plate. ... Look up etch, etching in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Color printing is the reproduction of an image or text in color (as opposed to simpler black and white or monochrome printing). ... A lineographic representation of the arms of the Dauphin of France. ... Diagram of rotogravure process Rotogravure (gravure for short) is a type of intaglio printing process, in that it involves engraving the image onto an image carrier. ... A specimen of roman typefaces by William Caslon Typography is the art and techniques of type design, modifying type glyphs, and arranging type. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Lithography

• 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. trans. 1911)(a searchable facsimile at the University of Georgia Libraries; DjVu and layered PDF format)
• [1]search What's lithography by Theo De Smedt
• 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

• Delacroix's Faust lithographs at the Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University