Tuesday 11 June 2013

The Ingredients That Are Found In Ink

By Keren Kipfer


Every household in the United States has some use for ink, whether it is an ink pen or an inkjet printer. In addition, businesses use ink every day as well for a variety of important tasks. While ink is highly important, most people don't really know much about how it is made or what it contains, so here are a few interesting facts about ink.

Formulas vary by brand and type of ink, but generally speaking, ink has three typical components. Colorant is the first component of ink, and these are made using either dyes or pigments. Dyes have a much wider color range and are less expensive than pigment inks. On the other hand, dyes are more easily affected by water, and this water solubility means that even a single drop of water can ruin your print and that dyes take longer to dry. They also have been known to fade more quickly than pigments.

Pigments, on the other hand, are more expensive and have a lower color range. So why would anyone want pigment inks? These pigment inks are more water resistant and also last longer. Pigment inks also dry very quickly, which gives them another advantage. However, improvements in dye ink have made bleeding and fading much less of a problem. Typically, pigment inks are used on slicker surfaces while dyes are used when you want to showcase really vibrant colors.

The second component of ink is known as the vehicle or the binder. This important component is what forces ink to affix to a surface, such as your piece of paper or perhaps a bag of potato chips or an article of clothing. In addition, the vehicle also is essential in helping the ink flow smoothly from the cartridge or ink source onto the surface or substrate. These binders are made of resin, and there are many varieties of resin used for different types of ink.

While there are many different additives placed in ink, all of these additives together are grouped as a third component of ink. They are added because the colorant and vehicles can do all the necessary work, and these additives are the components that improve the flow of the ink and the lubrication as well as improving the drying time of the ink. Waxes, either wet or dry, will keep inks from marring. Different types of oil also are added, including linseed oil, flax seed oil and soybean oil, as well as oils based from petroleum. To improve the oxidation and the drying times, substances such as manganese and also cobalt are added.

Ink comes in several different forms, including liquid form, dry or as a paste. Make-up fluids are then added before the inks are used in a printer. If you own an industrial coder, such as a Domino coder, Altima coder or perhaps a VideoJet id printer, you can purchase low-cost, high-quality inks from a product id company that specializes in selling inks, parts and services for those businesses that use id coders.




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