Alois Senefelder, son of a Munich court actor, had enjoyed piano and singing lessons as a pupil before studying law in Ingolstadt. In search of a means of reproducing his own literary works, he carried out trials for years. His Vollstaendiges Lehrbuch der Steindruckerey (A Complete Course of Lithography), which was published in Munich in 1818, was written to provide information about the method. A natural observation – a leaf had impressed itself on a rock while it rained – provided the spark of inspiration.

Senefelder's planographic printing method, lithography, was referred to as “chemical printing” because the printing plate, depending on the preparation, either absorbed or repelled the ink. A special rack and pinion press enabled quick work. In 1799 his patent for the “... secret of being able to print notes and pictures on stone...” was first used commercially. An artistically-minded person had developed a method that continues to appeal to artists today.