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
Comparing offset printing with digital printing is a much discussed topic. But the bottom line is cost and profit. So here I would like to explain where both offset and digital intersect one another. The bottom line is this - COST. But let's break it down even further. What costs keep both offset and digital printing in their respective sides of the boxing ring? Here is a cost and profit comparison for offset and digital printing. Looking at this graph, the advantage is weighed heavily to digital printing. Why? Easy answer - run length. Only 1,000 copies. An offset press can't compete. Let's look at each of those costs and see why. 1. Paper - As the graph shows, both have a similar cost. But the cost is slightly higher for offset why? Likely because of waste. Some presses require 1,000 copies printed before they have an acceptable product. Digital printing can achieve an acceptable product in just the first copy. But let's turn the tables. The advantag