lithography

American  

[li-thog-ruh-fee] / lɪˈθɒg rə fi /

noun

1. the art or process of producing a picture, writing, or the like, on a flat, specially prepared stone, with some greasy or oily substance, and of taking ink impressions from this as in ordinary printing.

2. a similar process in which a substance other than stone, as aluminum or zinc, is used.

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lithography British  

/ lɪˈθɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. a method of printing from a metal or stone surface on which the printing areas are not raised but made ink-receptive while the non-image areas are made ink-repellent

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Other Word Forms

• lithographer
  noun
• lithographic
  adjective
• lithographical
  adjective
• unlithographic
  adjective
• lithographically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of lithography

From the New Latin word lithographia, dating back to 1700–10. See litho-, -graphy

Explanation

Lithography is a printmaking technique that's commonly used when text is being printed. Some artists also use lithography to print images. Unlike other forms of printmaking that involve carving a plate or block that's then coated with ink, in lithography the metal or stone plate is coated with a waxy material. Text or images are carved out of this coating and spread with an oily ink that only adheres to the coated surface. Maps, prints, newspapers, and many other items (often with both images and text) are printed this way. Lithography combines the Greek lithos, "stone," and graphein, "to write."

Example Sentences

It is effectively the only company that can make extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography systems required for leading-edge chips today.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Although “many investors view WFE upside as limited in some way by litho capacity,” referring to lithography equipment that is used to print designs onto wafers, Arcuri said he doesn’t agree.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

It opens by noting that for companies whose “access to the most advanced lithography is constrained, the constraint became binding earlier and bears down more severely.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Sanctions since 2019 have cut Huawei's access to components and technologies made by the United States and some of its allies -- including the lithography machines used to make the world's most advanced chips.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

In November he decides to learn the art of lithography, Theo’s suggestion long ago, so that he can become an illustrator.

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