Chromolithography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chromolithography was the first method for making true multi-color prints. (Before the chromolithograph, prints were colored in by hand.) First commercialized in the 1830s by Godefrey Engleman of France, it was based on lithography which used flat stone slabs on which an image is drawn on the surface, but used separate stones for separate colors or impressions. Later, zinc plates were used. Offset printing replaced chromolithography around the 1930s.
Lithography is a form of planographic printing, meaning that the surface is flat, in contrast to relief printing (using a raised surface) or intaglio printing (using an incised surface).
[edit] External links
- examples of the Liebig's Company trade cards
- New York Public Library page on printing, includes an example in which 38 progressive proof prints are made with 19 stones to produce the final print.
- Temple University Libraries discussion and World War I poster examples.
