The resolution of a near-field lithography technique that uses a planar silver lens to form a near-field image has been investigated and compared with hard-contact lithography. Sub-diffraction-limited imaging has been observed through a 50 nm silver film, confirming a recent superlensing proposal [J.B. Pendry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 (2000) 3966], with grating periods down to 170 nm pitch being patterned into resist using simple broadband UV-illumination. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.