Lithography is a process of transferring ink to a medium allowing the displaying of images or text. It is based upon several different methods involving the properties of grease and water used in transferring ink to a specific medium such as paper.  

  The main piece supporting this transfer is called a plate. Plates can be made of many materials. Most modern ones use aluminum or steel. Plates can also be used with simple materials such as a flat stone, which has been used for many centuries, or even a sheet of copper. To use the plate a method must be used to enable the ink to adhere to the plate. Some techniques use a method called burning. This is done by having a special substrate (a material that provides the surface on which the ink is deposited). The substrate is coated on the plate in a very thin layer. Then a black-and-white film is made by a computer. This film is then placed on top of the plate with the substrate, and then a UV light is shown through the film. The light cures the substrate. Anywhere the film is transparent will get burned. All other unburned areas will get removed by an acid wash. The plate is then wiped with a special solution that is a stabilizer. Once the plate has been stabilized it is ready for printing. The plate is then put onto the impression cylinder of an offset printing press. After the plate is put onto the press, a catalyst solution is wiped over the plate and cylinder. This helps the ink stick to the part of the plate that has been burned while not sticking to other parts of the plate.

Another form of lithography platemaking uses a simple sheet of soft metal. The most common metal used for this is copper. This method is the simplest and has been used for hundreds of years, mainly for paper money production. The way this is achieved is by simply taking a smooth flat sheet of copper and engraving it with a sharp metal object such as a knife. When the engraving is completed, wet ink is then rolled onto the copper and squeegeed off. After the top of the copper has been squeegeed off the engraving holds tiny amounts of ink. A piece of paper is placed onto the copper plate and pressed firmly into the inked etchings. The paper is peeled off revealing the mirror image etched into the copper on the paper.

Lithography has been around for many years and has changed very little. In some ways, technology has changed the way it works but overall basics remain fairly the same. Technology has improved the process by the way the plates have been made allowing for more precise printing.