This document provides instructions for lithography printing using toner-based prints or photocopies as the printing plate. The process involves adhering the print to a plexiglass sheet using gum arabic, inking the plate with lithographic ink, and transferring the ink to damp paper by rubbing. Basic supplies include lithographic ink, plate oil, gum arabic, photocopies or laser prints, printing paper, and plexiglass. Multiple prints can be made from a single plate. Vegetable oil can be used to clean up ink, followed by mineral spirits or denatured alcohol if needed.

1. Lithography Printing Without a Stone or Press

3. This table is laid out for two students working across from each other.

4. When printing from a paper print, adhere the photocopy or laser print to the plexiglass sheet with a mixture of gum Arabic and water which is applied to both surfaces with a sponge. The surface of the “plate” is kept very wet with this mixture, sponging between each application of ink.

5. The ink is rolled out with a soft brayer on one side of the large plexiglass sheet, or on a separate sheet. The litho ink will probably need to be thinned with a little plate oil (linseed oil that has been cooked). The consistency should be rather thin, so that it would flow off the inking knife in a thin line.

6. The ink is applied to the very wet photocopy by rolling from the center outward. The number of times the brayer will have to be charged and the plate inked depends somewhat on the density of the print and the color of the ink. Sponge off the plate between inkings to remove excess ink and to keep the plate wet.

7. The print paper should be soaked before using. Dampen both sides in a container of water, drain, then store inside a large plastic bag.

8. If the paper dries out too much before use, or if one is printing a second time on the same paper, mist the paper lightly before laying on the plate.

9. When printing on a press, the paper print plate is carefully laid on the press bed. If printing by hand, the plate is placed on a clean, flat surface.

11. Both these prints were based on digital photos. The darkest print of the pears was from a print made on a laser printer, the lighter from photocopies.

12. Rather than use unpleasant chemicals to clean up, vegetable oil can be used to clean ink off most items. If clean up needs to be done more quickly, first mineral spirits can be used to remove ink, then denatured alcohol to remove any residue.