
DYES FOR INKS
What is ink made of? Ink is a mixture of colouring substances (dyes and/or pigments), water, alcohols and various substances for adjusting particular physical properties (e.g. viscosity, surface tension).
There is no general recipe for inkjet printer inks. They have a composition similar to that of inks for fibre pens, but with a lower humectant content.
The requirements for printer inks are more differentiated than those for writing inks.
It is important that the colours used should demonstrate not only light fastness, but should also have a low salt content. Salt would block the printer nozzles. So inkjet inks must not dry out in the print head, but once on the paper they have to dry extremely quickly.
The precise formulations depend on the colourants used and the design of the printer, and are kept secret by the manufacturers.
At present our range of water-soluble basic dyes for inks, which we supply to the manufacturing industry, focuses on three low-salt variations: