Printing Ink Day

Printing Ink Day is observed on the earliest Tuesday to January 16th since 1977.

Printing Ink Day History 

This day is celebrated during International Printing Week to focus attention on the important role printing ink plays in our daily lives. Ronald C. Barker, president of the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NSPIM) noted that “Today, in this era of satellites, television and electronic message transmission, it is still the printed word and picture to which our society turns for performance, for clarity, for study and for continued use and enjoyment. We, in NAPIM, look to the talented, career-mind young people in our printing colleges and technical institutes to carry on the standards of value, quality and service which has been maintained by the printing ink industry over the years.”

What is printer ink made of?

Ink is a soft liquid or powder that contains pigments or dyes. Pigments give inks their color and they can come from a variety of sources and contain nitrogen compounds, commonly known as dyes. In printers, ink is used to create digital copies of text or images.

Over 90% of the inks produced are printing inks, where the color is transferred by pigment rather than the dye used in the writing ink.

How is printer ink made?

Ink is a combination of ingredients including varnish, turpentine, solvents, pigments and additives (e.g. waxes and lubricants). Black ink is created using carbon black pigments, and white pigments such as titanium dioxide to brighten other ink colors.

Varnish is a transparent liquid that is the basis of any ink. Different varnishes produce different inks, however, they are all created by mixing a mixture of resins, solvents and additives at high temperatures, to form a homogeneous mixture.

The resin, which binds the ink components together, reacts with each other and makes the varnish more viscous. The pigment is then mixed into the varnish and ground to break up any clumps so that the color is spread evenly through the ink.

How to celebrate Printing Ink Day

A simple way to celebrate Printing Ink Day is to print some documents by ourselves. It will help you know more information about pink or tones. Moreover, you can share the hashtag #PringtingInkDay on your post to spread and encourage people to take part in together.