Photographic transfer lithography — also known as photo-litho or photo transfer — is a printmaking technique that combines photographic imagery with the lithographic printing process. A photographic image is transferred to a lithographic stone or plate, which is then inked and printed on an etching press. The process allows photographers to create hand-pulled printmaking editions from photographic originals, combining the tonal fidelity of photography with the physical, tactile quality of lithographic ink on paper. Transfer lithography has been used by major artists including Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and David Hockney to incorporate photographic imagery into printmaking. For the photographer-printmaker, photo-litho offers a way to produce photographic images in printer's ink — permanent, richly textured, and physically present in a way that conventional photographic printing cannot match. This guide covers the history, techniques, stone and plate preparation, image transfer methods, inking, printing, and the creative possibilities of photographic transfer lithography.
Principles of Lithography
Lithography — invented by Alois Senefelder in Munich in 1796 — is based on the principle that oil and water do not mix. A lithographic stone (typically Bavarian limestone) or an aluminium plate is treated so that the image areas accept greasy ink and the non-image areas accept water and repel ink. When the stone or plate is damped with water and then rolled with oily ink, the ink adheres only to the image areas. Paper is pressed against the inked surface, transferring the image. Traditional lithography uses a hand-drawn image in greasy crayon or tusche on the stone. Photo-lithography adapts this process to use photographic images.
Photo Transfer Methods
Several methods exist for transferring photographic images to litho stones or plates. The most accessible for the photographer is the toner transfer method: print the image on a laser printer or photocopier (which uses toner — a thermoplastic, greasy powder). Place the print face-down on a dampened litho stone or ball-grained aluminium plate and run through a press under moderate pressure. The toner transfers from the paper to the stone, creating a greasy image on the printing surface. The stone is then processed with gum arabic and etch solution as for any lithograph. Alternatively, photosensitive emulsions can be coated directly on stones or plates, exposed through a photographic negative, and developed — but this requires more specialised equipment and materials.
Stone and Plate Preparation
Lithographic limestone is the traditional surface — a fine-grained Bavarian limestone that is ground flat and polished or grained to the desired texture. For photo transfer work, a smooth to medium grain works best. Aluminium plates (ball-grained or prepared litho plates) are a modern, more accessible alternative. The surface must be clean, free of grease, and properly grained to accept the transfer. For toner transfers, the surface should be slightly damp. For photosensitive emulsion methods, the surface must be coated, dried, exposed, and developed following the emulsion manufacturer's instructions.
Processing and Inking
After the image is transferred, the stone or plate is etched — treated with a solution of gum arabic and a mild acid (nitric acid for stone, phosphoric acid for aluminium) that chemically differentiates the image and non-image areas. The gum arabic desensitises the non-image areas, making them hydrophilic (water-attracting). The greasy image areas remain oleophilic (ink-attracting). After etching and drying, the stone or plate is damped with water and rolled with lithographic ink using a leather or rubber roller. The ink adheres to the image areas and is repelled by the damp non-image areas. The image gradually builds up to full density with repeated passes of the ink roller.
Printing
Place a sheet of dampened printmaking paper (BFK Rives, Somerset, or similar) on the inked stone or plate. Cover with a tympan sheet and run through a lithographic press under heavy pressure. Peel the paper away to reveal the printed image. Each impression is richly textured — the ink sits on the paper surface with a slight physical presence, different from any photographic printing process. For an edition of prints, the stone or plate is re-damped and re-inked between each impression. A well-prepared stone can produce hundreds or even thousands of impressions before the image begins to deteriorate.
Multi-Colour Photo Lithography
Multi-colour lithographic prints can be produced by using separate stones or plates for each colour — typically CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) colour separations, or custom spot colours chosen by the artist. Each colour is printed in a separate pass through the press, with careful registration to ensure the colours align precisely. Multi-colour photo-litho prints can reproduce the full colour range of the original photograph, with the added richness and physical quality of lithographic ink. Alternatively, a single-colour photo-litho image can be hand-coloured or combined with hand-drawn lithographic elements for unique, mixed-technique prints.
Photo-Litho as Fine Art
Robert Rauschenberg pioneered the use of photographic transfer lithography in the 1960s, combining transferred photographic images with painting, drawing, and found imagery in his large-scale prints. Andy Warhol used photo-litho and photo-screenprint to create his iconic pop art imagery. David Hockney has used photo-litho extensively. For the contemporary photographer-printmaker, photo-litho offers something that no other process can: a photographic image rendered in permanent, archival printer's ink, hand-pulled from a stone or plate, on fine printmaking paper — combining the authority of photography with the craft and preciousness of handmade printmaking.
Photo-litho — photographic imagery in lithographic ink, hand-pulled from stone.
Oil repels water, ink meets image: the printmaker's photography. View the portfolio.
