Abstract: A dampening fluid mist application system for lithographic printing comprises a container for the dampening fluid and a rotatable first roller having a rough surface for picking up and entrapping fluid from the container. A rotatable second roller having a brush surface contacts the first roller to transfer fluid from the surface of the first roller to bristles on the brush surface. A deflector bends and releases the bristles to eject fluid thereon and create a mist stream of the liquid. The rough surface on the second roller is employed to provide the desired amount of dampening fluid to the bristles and may be made of wire mesh or a series of spaced projections or knobs, for example. The deflector is made up of a plurality of separate blade segments whose edges contact different brush segments along the full width of the second roller.