Litografija

Litography is a planographic printing process that uses a flat surface—traditionally limestone but also metal plates—to transfer an image. The method exploits the immiscibility of oil and water: image areas are treated with greasy materials and accept ink, while the non-image areas are kept damp and repel ink. After inking, a sheet of paper is pressed to the surface to produce a print. Lithography is used for both fine art printmaking and commercial reproduction.

It was invented by Alois Senefelder in 1796 in Munich as a cheap method for reproducing texts and illustrations. Early lithography relied on stone slabs; later, metal plates and synthetic surfaces replaced stone works. In the 19th century, chromolithography expanded the range of color prints, and in the 20th century offset lithography became the dominant form of commercial printing, using a rubber blanket to transfer the image from the plate to paper.

Process: In traditional lithography, the artist draws on the stone with a greasy crayon or tusche; the surface is dampened with water, which adheres to non-image areas. Ink sticks to the greasy drawing and to the image areas, while the damp areas repel ink. In offset lithography, the image is first transferred to a rubber blanket and then to paper, enabling high-speed production and mass imaging.

Applications include fine art prints, posters, book illustrations, and a wide range of commercial graphics. Lithography remains valued for its ability to reproduce subtle tonal ranges and its versatility across media.