Definition: Unlike relief and intaglio printing where the image to be printed is raised above or sunk below the surface of the printing plate, in lithography the printing surface is flat with both image and non-image areas at the same level on the printing plate. Invented in 1798 by Alois Senefelder, lithography uses the fact that oil and water don't mix as the basis of the printing process. A flat stone such as limestone or a metal plate is treated so that the image area attracts oil-based inks and the wet non-image areas repel the oil-based inks.
Also Known As: lithographic printing | planographic | planography | litho
Examples: Lithography may be used in fine art printmaking. Offset lithography, one of the most commonly used commercial printing processes for most desktop publishing projects, uses the lithographic process.
