1. A lithographic method related to Talbot imaging for printing a desired pattern of features that is periodic or quasi-periodic in at least one direction onto a substrate surface, which method includes: a) providing a mask bearing a pattern of mask features that is periodic or quasi-periodic in at least one direction; b) arranging the substrate parallel and in proximity to the mask; c) providing an illumination source having a central wavelength and a spectral bandwidth; d) forming from said source an illumination beam with an extended angular distribution of intensity; e) arranging the distance of the substrate from the mask and exposing the mask pattern to said illumination beam so that each angular component of illumination exposes the substrate to substantially the entire range of lateral intensity distributions that occur between successive Talbot image planes for the individual illumination wavelengths; wherein the extended angular distribution of the illumination beam is designed in conjunction with the pattern of features in the mask and the distance of the substrate from the mask.