lithograph produced by etching an image onto a flat surface
A planographic printing technique called lithography was first based on the immiscibility of oil and water. A smooth-surfaced stone or metal plate is used for printing. The German poet and performer Alois Senefelder created it in 1796, and at first, it was mostly used for maps and musical scores. A pattern is sketched onto a flat stone (or prepared metal plate, often zinc or aluminum) and adhered by a chemical reaction in the lithography method of generating planographic prints. The term "lithograph" refers to a printing technique using metal and stone. Lithography is distinctive because it mimics a painting so closely. A visual work called a print is created using a procedure that allows for multiplication by the printing machine, usually on paper.
