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What is printer ink made of? What are Performance Additions? What is the Base Composition of Ink? |
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What is printer ink made of? Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, or quill. Thicker inks, in paste form, are used extensively in letterpress and lithographic printing. Ink can be a complex medium, composed of solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants, particulate matter, fluorescents, and other materials. The components of inks serve many purposes; the ink's carrier, colorants, and other additives affect the flow and thickness of the ink and its dry appearance. What is the Base Composition of Ink? Most printer ink is made of what is a base of linseed or soybean oil, or a heavy petroleum distillate used as the solvent. This is then combined with pigments to create ink that is designed to dry by evaporation. This base is often referred to as varnish. Black Ink Black ink is created through a combination of carbon black and varnish. Color Printing Ink Color pigments are composed of salts and multiring nitrogen-containing compounds, or dyes including: •Peacock blue •Yellow lake •Diarylide orange •Phthalocyanine green Though not as common, inorganic pigments are also used. These include chrome green (Cr2O3), prussian blue (Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3), cadmium yellow (CdS), and molybdate orange (a mix of molybdate, sulfate, and lead chromate). White pigments, such as titanium dioxide, can be used alone or to modify the characteristics of particular colored inks. These pigments are mixed with varnish to formulate color printing ink. What are Performance Additions? colorful ink patterns Additions, or additives, are added to what printer ink is made from to alter given physical properties to suit various situations. The additions are mixed with the resins and solvents or dispersants prior to the introduction of pigments. Some of these additions include waxes to promote rub-off resistance, lubricants, and drying agents, which separate from the ink's body and allow print to bind to surfaces and dry quickly. Other ingredients added to impart particular characteristics include antioxidants that delay the onset of oxidation and act as anti-aging agents, and alkali, which controls the solubility and viscosity of ink so it doesn’t get too thick. |