Lithographic stone printing is a traditional printmaking technique based on the principle that oil and water repel each other. The process begins with an artist drawing directly onto a smooth limestone slab using greasy materials like lithographic crayons or an image transfer process. Image transfer onto a lithographic stone is done using a solvent-based process. A pre-made image, often printed or drawn on transfer paper with greasy materials (like lithographic ink or crayon), is placed face down on the stone. The back of the paper is then moistened with a solvent, such as alcohol or turpentine, which softens the grease and allows it to transfer onto the stone’s surface. The stone is then chemically treated with a mixture of gum arabic and nitric acid, which fixes the greasy image while desensitizing the rest of the surface to ink. During printing, the stone is dampened with water, which is absorbed by the non-image areas, while an oil-based ink adheres only to the drawn sections. A sheet of paper is then placed on the stone and run through a press, transferring the inked image onto the paper.