tryckstenar

Tryckstenar, often translated as printing stones or lithographic stones, are a fundamental tool in the art of lithography. These stones are typically flat, smooth slabs of fine-grained limestone, most commonly sourced from Bavaria, Germany. The unique porous nature of this specific type of limestone allows for both the attraction of grease-based ink and the repulsion of water.

The lithographic process begins with drawing or painting an image onto the tryckstenar using a grease-based medium such as crayon, pencil, or tusche. Once the image is complete, the stone is chemically treated. This treatment involves washing the stone with a solution of gum arabic and nitric acid. The gum arabic adheres to the non-image areas, making them hydrophilic (water-attracting), while the greasy image areas remain oleophilic (oil-attracting).

When printing, the surface of the tryckstenar is dampened with water. The water adheres to the hydrophilic non-image areas. Then, a greasy ink is rolled onto the stone. The ink adheres to the oleophilic image areas and is repelled by the wet, non-image areas. A sheet of paper is then placed on the inked stone, and pressure is applied, transferring the inked image to the paper. This process can be repeated to create multiple impressions of the artwork. The durability of the tryckstenar allows for the creation of a significant number of high-quality prints.