Lithography is the oldest and simplest form of planographic printing. The process is based on the principle that grease and water repel one another. The printing stone is first ground smooth, after which the design is drawn on it with a greasy ink or crayon. The stone is then treated with dilute nitric acid and gum arabic. The non-image areas prepared in this way repel the printing ink, which adheres only to the greasy drawn lines and is then transferred to the paper.
Only five Hungarian stamp issues were produced by lithography:
- 1871 Lithographed Issue featuring Emperor Franz Joseph I;
- 1871 Newspaper Stamp – lithographed issue;
- 1873 Telegraph Stamps – lithographed issue;
- 1919 Hungarian Soviet Republic Portraits;
- 1920 Prisoner of War issue.
Lithographed stamps are typically characterised by somewhat paler, more matte colours, slightly softer outlines and less sharply defined fine detail. Very thin lines may become weak or disappear altogether. These features are especially useful when distinguishing lithographed stamps from engraved stamps of the same design. Engraved examples generally show stronger colour, sharper lines and contours, and may have a slightly raised feel to the printed image.
The differences can be seen particularly well on the 10-krajcár values of the 1871 issue and in enlarged views of the same details.
A short video produced by the Museum of Fine Arts demonstrates how a lithograph is made:
