She studied a variety of printing techniques and specialized, together with her husband, in reproductive prints – demand was high in this period for printed reproductions of drawings and paintings. Conducting experiments, she developed an innovative colour reproduction technique. It involved printing the three primary colours, and sometimes black, on top of one other. Similar experiments were being performed elsewhere in Europe, and the inventions of Prestel and her contemporaries laid the foundations for modern-day printing. Despite her innovative breakthrough, business was often slow, so on two occasions she moved home ahead of her family in search of new markets, first in Frankfurt and later in London.
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