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History of Ink
We would like to provide you with some information regarding ink as it is the main stream of our business. The history of ink will be the starting point of the ink blog series.

As the starting point, a definition on ink is pertinent . What is ink? Ink is a liquid, which contains a variety of pigments used to colour a surface to produce text or images. Ink is used within a pen or brush or quill for writing or drawing purposes. Lithographic printing and letterpress use thicker type of inks.

China had developed texts and pictures from blacking the raised surface of carved stone in the era of 5000 years ago. A combination of lamp oil, pine smoke, as well as gelatin from animal musk and skin was the formula of that early ink. Minerals, plants like berries were used to create ink colour from other early cultures.

Sharon J.Huntington, gives the detail of the historical journey of ink in an article of a Christian Science Monitor:

"An ink recipe was produced approximately 1.600 years ago. This recipe became a popular one and used for many centuries. Tannin from gallnuts, which grow on trees, was mixed with iron "salts". Ferrous sulfate is a type of iron salt, which is very important in the process. This mixture then combined with a thickener. The ink will be bluish black when set on a paper. It fades after some times and became a dull brown."

Approximately AD 800 to 1500 sheepskin parchment was written by scribes in medieval Europe. In the 12th century, the ink recipe was made of hawthorn branches, which were left to dry after being cut in the spring time. Then the bark was soaked for eight days in water after crushed from the branches. This water then boiled by adding wine to get a thick form and black colour. Special bags were provided to place the ink in order to hang it in the sun. For the final step of the ink, the dried combination then mixed with wine and iron salt over a fire.

In Europe, Johannes Gutenberg had to develop a new ink type for the printing press in the 15th century. There were two types of ink well known at that era: the writing ink used by the Greek and Roman made of water, glue and soot, and the ink from the 12th century with various mixture of gum, gall, ferrous sulfate and water. Unfortunately, none of them could produce printing output without forming blurs. An ink from the combination of turpentine, soot and walnut oil was created. It produced oily ink with varnish-like result. This was the special ink created for printing press.
 
 
Squid Inkjets Blog
Paper Choosing Tips
We will give you some tips in choosing paper in this blog.

During the initial period of printers, there was only copy paper acknowledged in that era. Photo paper was only recognized by photographical studio. After some time, it was established that people could create their own photos with a lab quality at home, by using these photo papers. Glossy and matte were not a deciding matter at the time. People only knew that photo paper worked better than copy paper as it is thicker and shinier.

Today the decision is not that simple, as printer manufacturers make it challenging. There are more than 50 different papers to choose from if you combine the different photo paper types from the big brands. If you go to a store for photo paper, there will be an endlessly range of gloss levels to choose, while it is difficult to tell their difference except for the price. Premium Photo Paper sounds great but all is not as it sounds, it is only a standard paper for HP. The only lower type of paper produced by HP is Everyday Photo Paper. The best photo paper HP produce is Premium Plus, but the best gloss type still has to be decided for your printing needs. Other manufacturers, such as Epson, make it easier by naming Premium on the best photo paper they have, this is also the case with their ink cartridges. Epson have created impressive names for their products with various prices and give the idea that you have to pay more to get more. There are solutions on this problem:

1. There is some free paper samples provided when a printer is bought to give the consumer an idea what is preferable, for their needs. Use these samples if possible. It is very helpful, as it is a good chance to test your printing need for free and to find out the types of papers required.

2. Find out which type of gloss you need and stick with it.

3. If you only print intermidently, then consider taking a small pack such as a 25 pack paper instead of taking a big pack of 100. The 100 pack papers might be cheaper per page; however, it can result in wasted paper if the print results are not what is required.

4. Consider the type of photos that will be printed before buying the paper. Many people print a lot of 4 x 6 pictures. If printing out 4 x 6 is done at a printing studio then having a 100 pack of photo paper at home is not really necessary.

5. If all of these attempts fail, then get the photo paper with the same brand as your printer.

Hopefully you will not face the last tips.
 
 
 
 
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