Printmaking Techniques

Printmaking Techniques

Print Them All was created in the oldest printing house  in the Montparnasse district of Paris which dates from the 19th century.

It was a crossroads where great French and international artists could meet, and Picasso, Matisse, Miró, Chagall, and Giacometti came to this workshop one after the other. Today contemporary artists such as John Armleder, Xavier Veilhan, JR, and many others follow in their footsteps.

What is lithography ?

The word lithography comes from the Ancient Greek language: “lithos”, meaning “stone” and “graphein”, meaning “to write”. It was invented in 1796 by German author Alois Senefelder as an economical method of publishing theatrical works. Originally, lithographs were created through a drawing image etched onto a stone. Even if with new technologies, printmaking process has evolved, some artists and printing house are still practicing this traditional printing technique, as we are doing for the production of our lithographs on stone.

  •   Traditional techniques

Traditional lithography is based on the immiscibility of oil and water. It consists in painting or drawing with a greasy substance directly onto a flat smooth stone to create an image. The stone is then, wetted and an oil-based ink is rolled onto it. Only the greasy parts of the stone will pick up the ink. Finally, the paper and the stone are run through a press, letting the ink being transferred from the stone to the paper.

  •   Modern techniques

Modern lithography employs the same basic principle but in a more efficient way. It consists of covering a printing plate with photosensitive emulsion before the photographic negative of an image is pressed onto it. Then the plate is exposed to an ultraviolet light. Once developed, the emulsion shows a reverse of the negative image – a perfect replica of the original artwork.

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How our lithographs are printed ?

At Print Them All, we like to alternate between those two print methods with the objective of creating the best fine prints according to the artist’s desire. Each of our lithographs is numbered, signed by the artist and stamped by our publishing house. We produce all our lithographs at the oldest Parisian printing house, called IDEM, which has been founded in 1881 where artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró and even Marc Chagall used to print their artworks.

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Which kind of paper do we use to print our lithographs ?

Paper quality is one of the most important element of the printing process. Artist’s choice of paper is very important in order to achieve the perfect final effect for the representation of his artwork. Respecting the wish of the artist and to satisfy you, we work exclusively with the best quality paper to make sure to have a perfect replica of the artwork, ensuring optimal results that will stand above time. For that, we used paper that is 100% cotton handmade, such as the BFK Rives or the Arches.

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High Quality Art, Prints & Products

Our products are the result of sophisticated techniques and the highest quality materials to ensure as precise a replication as possible. Each print is numbered and signed by the artist.

We ship your Art Worldwide

We deliver your order between 2–10 business days. Delivery times vary according to the item ordered and its destination.

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We treat every order with the utmost care. If you are not satisfied with your purchase for any reason, please contact us within 24 hours of the reception of your item in order to register your complaint.

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