Ink

As the ink (Latin tincta [ aqua ] " colored water " ) refers to an intensely colored liquid for use in quills, brushes or pens. In addition to the manual application when writing in calligraphy and in drawing are also automated inkjet method of increasing importance in the word processing or labeling items. Ink usually consists of a solution or dispersion of colorants in water or other solvents containing little or no binder. When ink is a special type of ink which is characterized by a very strong color, often containing a binder.

2.2.1 Pigmented inks
2.2.2 ink

2.3.1 fluorescent ink
2.3.2 Gel Ink
2.3.3 invisible ink
2.3.4 scented ink
2.3.5 ink for inkjet printer

4.1 Special
4.2 Visual Arts

History

Ink has been used in Egypt around 3000 BC, in China around 2600 BC. Ordinary black ink has long been made of soot and gum-water ( gum arabic ) and produced until around 1000 BC in the Far East replaced by ink (Indian ink). This was prepared from the carbon black of the needle burned charcoal and light oil, and mixed with an adhesive made of gelatine, molded in a tube, and dried. The ink rod was so long in use triturated with water until the desired opacity was reached, a method that has survived until today in calligraphy.

A significant invention in the 3rd century BC, was the production of iron gall ink by decoction of galls with iron sulfate and subsequent addition of rubber water. Iron gall ink is considered a particularly resistant and is still used today as indelible ink.

Cicero first reported by a recipe in which the ink bubbles were dried squid and ground in a mortar. The obtained therefrom brown-black dye is named after the genus name sepia and is now used for coloring foods. The actual use of a sepia ink, however, is not confirmed until 1780.

In medieval times, some recipes have been developed with different colored pigments. So we took advantage of arsenic (III ) sulfide, which was reacted with mercury to obtain a gold-colored pigment ( gold ink). The proliferation of quills later led to the development of the mandrel beef ink that is not as fast dried up like iron gall ink and therefore the spring head clogged frequently. However, the latter remained, especially for long-term documentation and archives in the recipe most commonly used. A typical ink the period from the 15th to the 18th century is also the Bister.

With the development of modern chemistry in the 19th century, a variety of dyes was discovered and, where possible, used for writing and painting. Since water-soluble dyes, however, often have only a small light fastness and also are easily washed out, soon developed guidelines for the composition of inks to create permanent documents. So a recipe for iron gall ink was first published in 1856, whose constituents were insoluble in water after drying, and containing an artificial, water-soluble dye, so that the lines were also visible from drying.

Today, a wide range of inks for different uses is available. By the invention of automated systems such as the inkjet printer and inks have been necessary (in order to produce different colors ) to specific properties, such as miscibility and availability combine extremely fast drying time.

Ink types

Inks with soluble colorants

When solvent ink dyes are chemically dissolved in the respective medium or bound as a complex. Benefits include ease of use, since the dyes do not settle ( sediment ) and can also thin feathers or nozzles are not clogged. A disadvantage is the often poor light fastness and resistance to chemicals.

Water-based ink

Water-soluble ink is mainly used for writing or highlighting on paper, since aqueous inks do not penetrate through the paper and this is not so much a matter of the rate of drying. Aqueous ink dries slower than other inks based binders and solvents. Therefore, countries with high humidity draw for applications on flat surfaces, solvent-based ink ago.

Iron gall ink

Modern Iron gall inks are constructed in two stages. In the liquid iron (II ) sulphate is next gallate colorless in solution, ( to keep track of the lettering) the dark color is achieved by an equally dark -soluble dye. Upon drying in air, the iron is oxidized to iron ( III) and there is the colored deep black iron (III) - gallate complex. Therefore, iron gall inks are a limited shelf life after opening.

Due to the widespread use of iron gall ink in the past are the long-term reactions between components of the ink and the write reasons used is of enormous importance for the conservation of documents. Through complex chemical reactions occur in the course of time, sulfuric acid and free iron (II ) ions can decompose the write reasons such as papyrus or paper. Following the acid decay, this process is also called iron gall ink corrosion. While as a countermeasure for this purpose in recent centuries mainly chemical measures were used (among other things, nitrocellulose) to modern methods focus only on the careful neutralization of the acid and the restoration of paper stability ( for example through the paper gap method).

Solvent-based ink

Solvent-based ink is mainly used for writing on smooth surfaces (glass, plastic sheeting). On paper, it proposes by very strong and runs. Eligible solvents are mostly ethanol and ethyl acetate or other carboxylic acid ester, in rare cases, toluene and xylene. These solvents have the property very quickly and independent of the moisture to evaporate and thus faster to form a dry film. Meanwhile, the German producers as solvent based only denatured ethanol ( alcohol ) is used because this agent is the safest health.

Inks with insoluble colorants

Pigmented inks

Pigments can be in contrast to the dyes not solve chemical in the medium, but are merely suspended, better yet dispersed. Pigmented inks have the advantage of high color strength, high light fastness, high water resistance and chemical resistance (this is especially important when ink is to be indelible ). A disadvantage, however, is to note that pigments settle relatively quickly, provided their density is different from that of the solvent, so the pigments are often particularly stabilized inks. The greater the pigment particles, the faster they usually sediment. In whiteboard inks you need very coarse pigments, so when wiping remain no pigments. Pigments of text markers, however, are particularly fine ( 0.1-0.4 microns).

For lighter colors ( such as yellow, red, orange) can be distinguished dye-based inks pigmented easy: Dye-based inks are in the glass as opposed to pigmented inks transparent (you can see through the liquid ). For darker colors (blue, purple, green) dye inks appear almost black in the glass, pigmented inks have in the glass the same color as the paper.

Ink

The word mascara for " black paint applied " in the 17th century from French toucher "touch" borrowed. The composition of ink is not uniformly defined and the term is not legally protected. However, there is the ISO 9957 standard for drawing ink. Inks contain colorants (pigments ) and a binder that can adhere well to the paper, the colorant. This binder may be an aqueous solution of shellac or water-soluble synthetic resins, mostly alkaline dissolved ( saponified ) acrylic resins, are made. With shellac soap waterproof mascara can be made - these inks can be scraped off with a blade on the paper.

In the Ink Painting Artist Ink are used, which are usually made of fine soot mixed with shellac soap, water and fillers. The Far Eastern ink painting and calligraphy using rod inks that are rubbed on a special ink stone with water. In the trade are also inexpensive "China inks " available, but this is often to dye-based inks with acrylic resin.

Colloquially, watercolor and body color are sometimes referred to as ink colors.

Other inks

Fluorescent ink

The fluorescence of the coloring of the body color ink stroke is particularly strong, and acts as a lighting of the ink. From the incident light, in particular daylight spectrum of a specific part, often of the UV light is absorbed by the color imaging system of the dye and re-emitted as a visible long -wave light. The fluorescent ink brings the more visible light produced than the environment, it therefore appears very colorful and bright.

Gel ink

In the 1990s, Gel ink has increasingly gained importance. This is to mostly pigmented, water-based thixotropic ink, but sometimes also to dye-based. The special feature of these inks is their flow behavior. Gel ink has a shear thinning behavior: At rest it is thick, but becomes fluid under the action of shear forces. In gel pens liquefaction in the top done by the writing ball. This makes them particularly well suited for the use of pigments, which tend in normal ( thin ) inks to sediment. Pigmented gels have the advantage that the writing on wet paper does not bleed over dye-based gels.

Recently, there are also so-called Liquidgele. These gels are similar in structure to the normal gel ink, but they are much thinner and are usually based on dye-based. Compared with the classical gels have the advantage that they can better penetrate into the paper soft and liquid Write (more liquid), by their lower viscosity and thus blot less.

Invisible ink

As invisible inks inks are defined, which are either not visible or change their properties after some time. They were formerly known as sympathetic or chemical inks. Already years ago, about 2000 secret inks were known to have been visible only after treatment with heat ( milk). And inks, that can be "evolved" only by means of suitable chemicals or by means of special lamps can be made visible, were later usual. Invisible inks can be regarded as a branch of steganography, the secret writing. For some purposes, it later was also initially visible inks, which disappeared after some time or change their color. These are due to their origin also known as Ladies inks.

Many secret inks are based on organic acids accelerate the heating, the decomposition of the paper at the described site and be the first dark and thus visible. Another way to make the font visible, is a reaction with iodine, which the constituents are oxidized and thus emerge. This method is also used in forensic science in the treatment of fingerprints.

Scented ink

Since 1660 inks were provided by the addition of essential oils, flower extracts and perfumes with fragrances. The current range of fragrances ranging from natural fragrances ( grasses, flowers, among the lavender and rose scented love letters might be the most famous, more chocolate, fruit and various wood scents ) to " technical scents ".

Ink for inkjet printer

The composition of inks for inkjet printers is different depending on the manufacturer and is not usually published. These inks are adapted to the respective device and nozzles. You must meet some technical requirements that normal ink not required to comply. Do not dry in the print head, but should dry quickly on paper ( chip off ). The corresponding values for the drying rate are known only to the manufacturer. The flow properties are subject to strict limits, since small droplets as possible to be blasted to give a clean print.

For most printers, " remanufactured " cartridges, refill inks or refilled original cartridges available. Due to the large price difference between the original and refill cartridge, printer manufacturers go to secure their sales often face legal (patent law ) or with marketing agents against the partially reputable secondary producers and refills. Other protective measures include the integration of ICs ( dongles ) that prevent refilling or exchange with a second manufacturer products. These price differences are based on commercial considerations, the printer manufacturer that subsidize expensive inks the purchase price of the printer.

According to the pressure principle of the so-called inkjet printers and piezo inks for thermal method in which the evaporation is to provide for the smallest droplets thermally-active inks are prepared for the piezo- electronic methods.

Colors of inks

The color of the ink depends on the type of dye used. In modern inks can be used virtually any soluble or insoluble dye, as soon as a suitable solvent or binder is present. While pigments have a characteristic inherent color, the color of a dye or a dissolved complex of the solvents used can depend. This makes it possible to have a different color than the dried writing ink.

To write (often derived from resorcinol ) as Helvetia blue or blue water used due to their good water solubility often blue triphenylmethane dyes. The dyes can be destroyed with an ink eraser, so that the lettering will not be visible.
A green coloration obtained on acidic indigo carmine.
White, well covering inks contain the same pigments as opaque white.
The fluorescent dyes used in highlighters often derived from fluorescein.
For black inks to have a good opacity, pigment dyes are preferably carbon black used.

Ink -jet inks generally contain selected, low-salt and mostly light-fast dyes. Wherein the black ink CI Pigment Black 7 ( carbon black) is used by the large ink-jet printer manufacturers often used instead of a dye. This has excellent light fastness, water resistance and color depth. Suitable colorants and Direct Blue 199, Acid Yellow 9, Reactive Red 180, Acid Red 52 or Direct Black 19 are used. The color is the nomenclature of the Colour Index, an international directory of dyes.

Use

Special

From the mixing of different colored writing inks recommend manufacturers. Different soluble inks can be offset either with acid dyes or with basic dyes, mixing the dyes can flocculate thereby. On the other hand, dispersion aids lose pigmented inks to stabilize their effect, so that form a sediment or flakes.

Fountain pen should be better cleaned with water with demineralized water before changing the ink.

Fine Arts

The first with ink drawn, artistic works were probably in China or Japan. There developed, in addition to the ink painting (Japanese sumi -e ) on paper or silk, the first forms of calligraphy, so the artistic design of characters. In Europe, many resulting in medieval scriptoria works embellishments and calligraphic documents contained in different colors.

Since mascara unlike water colors move into the character base, creates its own form of contrasts between dark and light ink pigments character base. In comparison to a solid drawing means such as carbon or graphite eliminates the need for later fixing to the ground.

Marking the hierarchy

In authorities, but especially in ministries, there is a definition with which ink color memoranda are attached in documents. To see Annex 2 to § 13 paragraph 2 of the Joint Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries ( GGO ) before that minister to " blue pencil ", Parliamentary Secretaries to the " violet pen", state secretaries the " red pencil ", Head of the " blue pencil " and Deputy Director of the " brown pen" to use. The tradition to use a different color depending on the rank in the hierarchy authorities, there were already in the Prussian administration. Also in the GDR knew § 57 Section 1 of the Service Regulations of the Government of the German Democratic Republic on 3 November 1949 " Green Pen" for the minister, the " red pencil " for the Secretary of State and the " blue pencil " for the head of the department. The purpose of such statements is that it is possible yet to determine in retrospect, who had inflicted the observations of documents.

Ink