The Role of Output Devices in the Higher Education Courses of Cartography - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 28

less courses offered in cartography than 30-40 years ago, most of these courses
are converted to courses named as GIS, geoinformatics or geomatics. However
the reproduction part of these courses (irrelevant to the title) has totally dis-
appeared, while previously this area was an important part of cartography courses
(Salichtchev 1979 ).
3.2 Traditional Reproduction Methods as an Output “Device”
The reproduction methods were always very important in map making. We can't
simply treat these techniques scientific, there are mostly artistic or industrial
methods. We don't have reproduction techniques which were developed directly
for cartography, but cartography simply selected the best available methods that
fitted their needs.
The printing methods of the first centuries after Gutenberg are not really
important for cartographers (at least not for this paper). Most printing technology
was based on letterpress, the printing of images that projected above nonprinting
areas.
The first method we have to mention is a lithography . In 1798 Alois Senefeler ,
makes a discovery of profound significance in the history of artists' prints and later
of commercial printing, too. He has been attempting for some while to print from
limestone. What he comes to realize is that the antipathy between grease and water
can be used as a basis for printing. He found that an image, no matter how detailed,
that was drawn with a greasy substance on the face of a water-absorbent stone and
then inked could be printed onto paper with absolute fidelity. Lithography was
ideally suited for illustration (like maps) and enjoyed a phenomenal popularity
during the nineteenth century, especially for color printing, which required a
separate stone to print each color. The discovery of lithography was significant
to the history and development of cartography. Prior to the birth of lithography
at the turn of the nineteenth century, most maps and atlases were produced by
engraving—a technique that requires much skill and labor. Engraved maps were
rare and relatively expensive. Lithography offered a cheaper and quicker way to
reproduce maps and other images. The early topographic map sheets were
reproduced by engraving techniques, this method was suitable to reproduce the
hachuring method of the relief representation.
Lithographic metal plates had only rarely been used for commercial printing, in
part because the image on the plate was often worn through by the printing paper. In
1904 an American printer accidentally discovered that the lithographic image could
be transferred, or offset, to a rubber cylinder that could then print as perfectly as the
plate and would last indefinitely. This becomes the most popular printing process
because of its economy, long plate life, and ability to print on many different
textures.
The halftone color printing, the process still used today to reproduce full color,
was introduced in the 1890s, but many years passed before its full potential was