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Oil and Water Don't Mix
"Lithography" is a word for a common method of printing. It's based on the old truism that oil and water don't mix. But "lithos" is Greek for stone. So, what's the connection? Well, for centuries printing was a costly process which used copperplate engraving.
Then, in the 1790s, a failing German playwright named Senefelder was looking for a cheaper way to get his plays printed. He found a local limestone that he could easily polish flat; then he put a design on the surface with a greasy substance and applied water and ink. The greasy parts repelled the water but absorbed the ink, the wet parts repelled the ink. Ach du lieber! No more engraving.
Senefelder's methods have evolved into the more modern methods and materials used today, but it's still the same idea: oil and water don't mix.
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