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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. |
