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Ink
was already in use for printing (from
wooded blocks) at the time of Gutenberg
developed his movable type system. Early
inks consisted of lampblack or soot mixed
with animal glue or vegetable oils. Ink
making became a highly developed art among
the Chinese. They introduced earth colors
and printed from hand-cut block in the
11th century 400 years before Gutenberg.
In
the early day of printing, the printer
made his own ink with lampblack and boiled
linseed oil which he cooked according
to a secret formula. Much of the success
of Gutenberg's invention of printing is
due to the special ink he developed for
transfer to and from the cast metal type.
Ink making became a commercial process
in the 17th century. The first ink factory
was established in America in 1742.
In
the early manufacture of inks, little color
was used until the discovery of coal tar
types in the middle of the 19th century.
Linseed oil (a vegetable oil) was the main
vehicle in printing ink until the mid-1930's
when new vehicles and heat-set ink were
introduced for letterpress maga zine printing
in the United States. UV (ultraviolet) and
EB (electron beam) curing vehicles for ink
and coatings were introduced in the 1970's.
More recent develop ments in inks have been
water-based ink for gravure and flexography,
and soybean ink for lithography. Today ink
making is a highly refined industry with
special ink for each printing process and
purpose. The ink industry represents a multi-billion-dollar
industry in the United States alone. |
