Introduction Printing ink is so much more than just the black stuff that you put on a page. It has been around for thousands of years, and it's been used in everything from newspaper presses to digital printers. As you can see, we're not talking about offset printing ink which is oil based. I want to have a little fun and talk about how you can make your own ink for your printer. At home! Ready? Ingredients You will need the following ingredients: Soot (5 tbsp) : This is as purest as it gest. You can make the soot yourself by holding a glass up to a flame. This will allow you to slowly accumulate the soot. Water (2 tbsp): For the base of your ink, use distilled water so that you don't introduce any impurities into the mix. Distilled water is also easier to clean up than tap water because there are no minerals or residue left behind from tap water. Alcohol (2 tbsp) (grain alcohol): This ingredient works as a preservative for your ink and allows it to last for several mo
In recent decades, colour management has really become the hot topic in printing. There are now many standards (such as SWOP , GraCOL , ISO , etc.) that all offer the possibility of creating predictable print results, with much happier customers in the end. For some pressmen , though, learning to adapt to some of these new concepts can be a challenge. How can they combine their years of knowledge and troubleshooting with a newer, technology driven environment? Make sure you train pressman well. If a pressman is used to doing everything by eye and by ‘feel’, they will be uncomfortable with all the tools getting thrown at them. Give them training and time to get familiar with densitometry, colorimetry, etc. Perhaps invest in a good training course (many are available, such as GATF ). Part of good training in colour management might mean getting them to spend a little time with prepress learning how proofing and plate making are being affecte