Modern Technology of Printing and Writing Inks

Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments or dyes and is used to colour a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, or quill. Thicker inks, in paste form, are used extensively in letterpress and lithographic printing. Ink can be a complex medium, composed of solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants, particulate matter, fluorescents, and other materials. The components of inks serve many purposes; the ink’s carrier, colorants, and other additives affect the flow and thickness of the ink and its appearance when dry. India is among the fast growing printing & writing ink markets globally spurred by the rapid expansion of the domestic print markets. Backed by a strong demand from key end user segments such as package printing, newsprint, publishing and other commercial printing, the printing ink market in India has registered strong growth over the years. The printing ink industry is fragmented with hundreds of manufacturers and a large number of players in the unorganised sector. Printing ink sector in India witnessed a growth of around 7.5% per annum during the Past years. Printed packaging accounts for around 27% of the demand for printing inks in India followed by newspapers at 20%. Commercial printing/promotional and printed advertising together account for around 19% of the demand. Other key end user segments for printing inks include books and stationery. With the print sector forecast to grow at around 8% per annum, in coming years, printing ink segment is expected to grow strongly. This handbook is designed for use by everyone engaged in the printing & writing ink industry and the associated industries. It provides all the information required by the ink technical for the day-to-day formulation of inks.