A Secret Ingredient to Timeless Prints
When you think of lithography, chances are you picture a printing stone. But did you know that the bluish-grey stones used for this timeless art form exclusively come from a quarry in Bavaria?
The Solnhofen region is famous for its Jurassic fossils and its extraordinary limestone, used for centuries in tiles before revolutionizing printing in 1798. Alois Senefelder’s invention of lithography was made possible by this extremely fine-grained, smooth, and dense stone.
The lithographic process
The process is a captivating blend of chemistry and artistry: an artist draws on the limestone with a greasy medium, and the stone is treated with acid and gum arabic. Greasy areas repel water, untreated parts absorb it, and ink adheres only to the drawing, creating prints that are precise and richly detailed.
Lithography quickly gained popularity because it could produce high-quality images efficiently and affordably. And while digital technology now dominates much of the printing world, Solnhofen limestone remains a cherished material for artists. While other stones have been used for lithography, none have matched its unparalleled quality.
An artist paints on a lithographic stone at a printer's workshop.
Here at FRIDAY BIRD, every lithographic masterpiece we create with artists is crafted using authentic Solnhofen limestone and the expertise of our skilled master printers.