How many colors in a 19th century lithograph?

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie Vognar

I was standing in line with a gentleman at Tri Star, and he told me that the N162s used a 12-color process, and the T206s an 8-color process. I had always (possibly foolishly) believed that lithographs were made with 4 colors--adding green to the three primaries.

Does everyone but me know this?

[Archive]

Posted By: Anonymous

Interesting question. I believe the number of colors could in theory be limitless , although i am no expert and appologize in advance if this is not true.

I was interested enough to google it and found what i thought to be an interesting web page.

http://www.answers.com/topic/lithography

edited to add:

http://www.cycleback.com/printsexamination/twelve.html

edited repeatedly to try to fix links

[Archive]

Posted By: davidcycleback

The average Mickey Mantle Topps card was made with four different color inks (black, yellow, cyan and magenta).

The 1880s color lithographs could well have been made with more color inks, though I've never counted. Murcerfan is correct that for those 1800s cards a very large number of different inks could be used. However, as each different ink required its own printing plate, there would practical/time limitations.

Someone recently contacted me concerning the authenticity of early 1900s color lithograph item, as he thought it might be modern reprint. He said that one of the inks used appeared to be peach. I said if the ink is genuinely peach that's a good sign, as I've never heard of a modern computer or similar printer that uses peach colored ink.

You can also identify some reprints and forgeries by the colors of the inks, as certain color inks were only used in modern times. In painting, experts have identified forgeries as the forgery used a color paint that had not been invented when the original artist was alive.

[Archive]

Posted By: jay behrens

I forget who told me this, but I was told that most 19c and turn of the century cards were made with a 4 stone lithographic process.

Jay

My place is full of valuable, worthless junk.

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie Vognar

has always been one of my greatest pleasures to hold N162s and T206s so the light glances off of them, and see the
different LAYERS of color...surely they aren't all fake?

..his website says that lithography is particularly distinguishable by the FLATNESS of the surface of the color cards..

[Archive]

Posted By: Robert

Lithographs can be an infinete amount of colors, I used to work with a person who printed up to 40 colors and more on fine art projects. The artist would work closely with the printer and as each color was laid done he would instruct them to add color in areas until he was happy. This is one of the reasons why lithos are expensive because of the labor involved. A straight four color process ( Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and black ) are almost exclusivly used in todays printing.