lithographer

American  

[li-thog-ruh-fer] / lɪˈθɒg rə fər /

noun

1. a person who works at lithography.

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Etymology

Origin of lithographer

First recorded in 1675–85; lithograph(y) + -er ¹

Explanation

A lithographer is a person who makes prints from designs created on flat stone or metal plates. A lithographer creates a design on a flat surface, which was traditionally limestone, but could also be metal. The design is applied using a greasy medium, like an oil-based crayon or ink. The surface is treated with chemicals so that when a roller of ink is passed over it, the ink adheres to the design only, not the blank parts. A piece of paper is pressed onto the inked surface to make a print. This printing process is called lithography, from the Greek words lithos, "stone," and graphos, "something drawn or written."

Example Sentences

At age 17, Homer was apprenticed to a Boston lithographer, where he practiced his draftsmanship and learned about composition, process and business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

A painter of the late Victorian period from Camden Town in London, Smith began as a lithographer before switching to painting.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2024

At the end of 1854, he began an apprenticeship with a Boston lithographer, from which he emerged in early 1857 absolved never to work for anyone again.

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2022

Chéret is the French painter and lithographer known worldwide for his posters advertising cabarets such as the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge, among others.

From Washington Post • Sep. 2, 2021

He suggests Vincent could be a lithographer, design letterheads.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman