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
I don't like to promote products, especially ones that are unproven. But there was a new product released at Drupa by Grafinkontrol for offset printers that I think is going make waves in the industry. It is an automatic blanket cleaner that uses dry ice (carbon dioxide just like you see above) to wash blankets. It promises the following three things that together could add up quickly to justify the cost: No emmissions. Since carbon dioxide occurs naturally in our atmosphere there's no concern about what it gives off. Solvent free. This cost savings alone could justify it. Not only does it require no solvent, but you can now eliminate costs associated with disposing of any waste solvent from your current system. No waste. That's right, not a single copy is lost on a wash. Done at full speed. Here's how it works: Dry ice is injected from nozzles onto the printing blanket while running. The carbon monoxide immediately vaporizes and