Graphic art

A lithograph is a print on stone. Making a lithograph is a complex process which originated in Germany around 1810. The printing process is based on the principle that water and grease repel each other.
A thick slab of (lime)stone is first ground to a lightly grained surface and then the artist uses greasy crayon or greasy lithograph ink to make an illustration on the stone. The stone is then covered with a thin coat of gum Arabic, to which a few drops of nitric acid have been added. This causes the grease to adhere to the stone. Then the stone is washed and kept moist and the printing process can begin.
The printing ink is applied by means of a roller: the ink adheres to the greasy parts, while the wet parts of the stone repel the ink. Subsequently the stone and the paper are run through the litho-press, so that the drawing appears on the paper. As in most graphic techniques, the drawing appears in reverse. For a color print, the paper needs to be run through the press several times.

Relief printing
Planographic printing
Intaglio printing
Stenciling
Mixed media