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
An infrared temperature sensor is a tool I would like to add as another essential tool to your press room. They cost only about $100 which is very little in comparison to the payback they offer. I would like to share why we find them so useful and then I'll show where you you can get them. So let's talk first about why this little device is so useful. How We Use Infrared Sensors In Our Press Room 1. Measuring unit temperature. As I discussed in a previous entry, the knowing the temperature of your ink as it flows through the ink train is critical to prevent piling as well as controlling your ink and water balance window. You can measure the plate and blanket as well to ensure optimum temperatures for ink flow and proper control. 2. Finding poor settings while running. A good way to tell if you have any roller settings out of tolerance is to measure each roller while running. A hot roller will indicate a setting is too hard. Additionally, a plate that is hot, e