Ink & Ink Types

Ink comes in many forms. Just think of the ink that the ancient Romans used to write on papyrus, and then think of the inks that are used today to reproduce security features on banknotes. As we can see, ink can be very different. But let's start with a brief explanation of the terms.

Definition of ink

The word ink describes - a colored liquid that can be applied to paper using quills, brushes or ink pens, where it then dries quickly and leaves a clearly visible mark, enabling drawing and writing on paper. Today, ink is mostly used by printers and other technical media to reproduce text and, in particular, images.

In terms of the medium, ink is divided into:

  •     water-based ink
  •     solvent-based ink

In terms of the color, we distinguish inks between:

  •     dye-based ink
  •     pigmented ink