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Old School Printing Techniques

3 min read

Stone Lithography

Stone lithography is a printmaking technique invented in 1796 by German author Alois Senefelder. It was widely used for about 150 years until offset printing became more prevalent in the mid-20th century.

The process relies on the principle that oil and water don’t mix. Here’s how it works:

  1. An artist draws on a flat limestone surface using an oil-based crayon or ink.
    1. Once the drawing is complete, a mixture of nitric acid and gum arabic (the etching solution) is applied to the entire stone surface.
    2. The etching solution reacts differently with different parts of the stone:
      • In the non-drawn areas, it slightly scratches the stone, making these areas more water-receptive.
      • On the drawn areas, it doesn’t etch. Instead, it interacts with the greasy drawing material to form a water-repellent compound.
  2. The stone is moistened with water, which is then absorbed by the non-greasy areas.
  3. Oil-based ink is rolled onto the stone, adhering only to the greasy drawn areas.
  4. Paper is pressed onto the stone, transferring the ink and creating a print.

The science behind this involves the porosity of limestone and the chemical reaction between the stone, the greasy drawing material, and an acidic solution used to etch the image area. This reaction creates a grease-receptive layer that holds the ink while the rest of the stone repels it.

Some of the famous practitioners of stone lithography include Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Édouard Manet, Honoré Daumier, Alphonse Mucha, James McNeill Whistler, Käthe Kollwitz, Eugène Delacroix, Odilon Redon.

Here’s a good video to watch this process in action.

Woodblock Printing

In woodblock printing the practitioner carves the inverse image of the picture or the text to be printed over wood with masterful skill and precision.
Traditional woodblock printing has go four steps to it:

  1. Writing
  2. Engraving/Carving
  3. Printing
  4. Binding

Diamond Sutra, the earliest dated printed book (AD 868) was made using woodblock printing. It is said that the demand for copies of Buddhist teachings is what lead to the woodblock printing revolution in China.

Sources videos:

  1. Woodblock Print - Living Heritage
  2. How did Hokusai create The Great Wave?

Linocut Printing

Linocut is a printmaking technique that uses linoleum as the printing surface. It was developed in the early 20th century as a cheaper and easier alternative to woodcut printing. The exact inventor is not known, but it gained popularity among artists in the 1920s and is still widely used today.

The process works as follows:

  1. The artist carves a design into a sheet of linoleum using sharp tools.
  2. Ink is rolled onto the linoleum surface.
  3. Paper is placed on top of the inked linoleum and pressure is applied.
  4. The ink transfers from the uncarved areas to the paper, creating a print.

The science behind linocut printing is relatively simple compared to stone lithography. It relies on the physical removal of material to create areas that won’t receive ink. Linoleum, made primarily from linseed oil, cork dust, and rosin on a burlap backing, is soft enough to carve easily but firm enough to withstand the pressure of printing.

Some notable practitioners include: Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Cyril Edward Power, Sybil Andrews, M.C. Escher, Edward Bawden, Gerhard Marcks, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Frans Masereel, Claude Flight

Linocut printing is known for its bold, graphic quality and the ease with which artists can experiment with colour by using multiple blocks. It’s particularly well-suited to creating high-contrast images and patterns.

A video of linocut process.

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