(from the Greek "lithos": stone)
Authentic lithographs are not to be mistaken for off-set poster prints, falsely called "lithographs" today.
There are two distinct segments in this process: the artistic part and the mechanical part. First, the drawing is made on limestone or aluminium plate. The artist does this with a wax crayon or with oil based inks. When the drawing is completed, the stone or aluminium plate is treated with arabic gum so the drawn part of the surface will attract the ink. When printing, the raw areas of the surface are moistened with water and thus repel the grease based ink. In multi-coloured lithographs, one stone or plate is used per colour, each individually drawn by the artist. Typically, a traditional lithograph contains between 10 and 20 different colours. The amount of each colour is carefully calculated and drawn onto the stone or plate in designated areas of the image.

Registration marks are placed outside of the image in order to assure the correct placement of each colour at printing. The limited edition lithograph is numbered and individually signed by the artist. When the edition is completed, the drawing on each stone or plate is destroyed to prevent further printing.

4 stages of lithography: DRAWING | PROOF | PRINTING | SIGNATURE