What is ink? Where do they get it?

Question

What is that stuff they put in pens and printer cartridges? Where does that black stuff come from? If it's some type of synthetic substance, how did they get ink 200 years ago? I can't possibly imagine that they could harvest it from octopuses.

Answer 1

There are many recipes for ink.



The oldest ones used soot, turpentine and some kind of glue that made a suspension in water. Modern ones use different kinds of pigments, solvents and adherence helpers , but the idea is still the same - create a suspension or colloidal mixture that dries in a relatively short time, that isn't absorbed by the paper or parchment to get blurred /unrecognisable characters.



The idea of ink coming from octopuses is because may of the old inks dried out to a sepia colour, very similar to the effects of octopus ink.

Answer 2

Black ink was made from carbon black, an incomplete combustion product, mostly carbon.Carbon inks were commonly made from lampblack or soot and a binding agent such as gum arabic or animal glue

There are many recipes today.

analine dyes were discovered in Germany

Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes

Ink can be a complex medium, composed of solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants, particulate matter, fluorescers, and other materials. The components of inks serve many purposes; the ink’s carrier, colorants, and other additives control flow and thickness of the ink and its appearance when dry.

The India ink used in ancient India since at least the 4th century BC was called masi, and was made of burnt bones, tar, pitch, and other substances.[2][6] Indian documents written in Kharosthi with ink have been unearthed in Chinese Turkestan.[7] The practice of writing with ink and a sharp pointed needle was common in early South India.[3] Several Jain sutras in India were compiled in ink.[4]

In ancient Rome, atramentum was used.n the 15th century, a new type of ink had to be developed in Europe for the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. Two types of ink were prevalent at the time: the Greek and Roman writing ink (soot, glue, and water) and the 12th century variety composed of ferrous sulfate, gall, gum, and water.[10] Neither of these handwriting inks could adhere to printing surfaces without creating blurs. Eventually an oily, varnish-like ink made of soot, turpentine, and walnut oil was created specifically for the printing press.Iron gall inks became prominent in the early 12th century; they were used for centuries and were widely thought to be the best type of ink. However, iron gall ink is corrosive and damages the paper

Answer 3

wikipedia:

About 1,600 years ago, a popular ink recipe was created. The recipe was used for centuries. Iron salts, such as ferrous sulfate (made by treating iron with sulfuric acid), were mixed with tannin from gallnuts (they grow on trees) and a thickener. When first put to paper, this ink is bluish-black. Over time it fades to a dull brown.



Scribes in medieval Europe (about AD 800 to 1500) wrote principally on parchment or vellum. One 12th century ink recipe called for hawthorn branches to be cut in the spring and left to dry. Then the bark was pounded from the branches and soaked in water for eight days. The water was boiled until it thickened and turned black. Wine was added during boiling. The ink was poured into special bags and hung in the sun. Once dried, the mixture was mixed with wine and iron salt over a fire to make the final ink.



The reservoir pen, which may have been the first fountain pen, dates back to 953, when Ma'ād al-Mu'izz, the caliph of Egypt, demanded a pen that would not stain his hands or clothes, and was provided with a pen that held ink in a reservoir.



In the 15th century, a new type of ink had to be developed in Europe for the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. Two types of ink were prevalent at the time: the Greek and Roman writing ink (soot, glue, and water) and the 12th century variety composed of ferrous sulfate, gall, gum, and water.[10] Neither of these handwriting inks could adhere to printing surfaces without creating blurs. Eventually an oily, varnish-like ink made of soot, turpentine, and walnut oil was created specifically for the printing press.

Answer 4

mostly some form of black carbon "soot" very fine particels mixed in some kind of liquid



Paint is even more complicated.



the ancient cavemen had colored dust 30,000 years ago



toner "ink" is a fery fine powder. I once tried to vacuum up some I spiled and it blew right through the collector bag out the exhaust and all over the room



there is small and smaller



people made ink since the days of the ancient egyptians 3,000 years ago