Art of the poster > Printing posters

Printing posters

Every artwork in this exhibition is a stage in the poster production process. Once approved by the Publicity Department, artworks were then sent to be printed. Originally, this involved redrawing the image in reverse onto a special stone or plate from which multiples could be printed. This process is called lithography. Some artists, such as Barnett Freedman and Frank Brangwyn, drew their designs directly onto the stone.

By the 1960s, traditional lithography was replaced by a photographic process for printing posters.

'We do not print our own posters, but supervise the work of expert lithographers outside. The work of these lithographers demands the highest craftsmanship in translating the artist's brushwork through the medium of printer's ink.'
Harold Hutchison, London Transport Publicity Officer, 1947