How is Lithography used now?
Instead of drawing the original picture, photography is now used in modern photo-lithography. How is the oil and water principal used with photos? A printing master* can be made by using photography. This printing master would take the place of the stone. The photographic process can be chemical or electrostatic*. The photo process creates a printing surface where the image is divided up into areas that attract water and repel oil, -or- areas that attract oil and repel water. First water, then an oil based ink is applied to the surface of the printing master. The inked image is then transferred from one surface to another mechanically by bringing the printing master in physical contact with a receiving surface. *A printing master is similar to a printing plate except it is made of a thin flexible sheet of material. A finished printing master is flat in appearance. It is flexible so it can be wrapped around a cylinder or drum that rotates. See the diagram below. *Electrostatic: This is
