The Chemistry of Color
The CC Chemistry of Color We see color everywhere - in our clothes, fabrics, walls, cars, flatware, you name it. Do you ever wonder how these colors came to be, how we get such a large spectrum of color? There is definitely a science to producing and apply the right types of inks. Read on to find out what makes our world so colorful.. What Is Ink? PURPOSE: To color a surface! COmmon INK CLASSES: APPLICATION: Pe Pr Aqueous Liquid Paste Powder Pen Quill Brush CONSISTENCY: Lr LP Pe Lithographic Printing Letterpress FACT: Over 90% of inks 90%+ are printing inks Liquid Paste Common components SUn COLORANTS: The components affect the flow, thickness, and the appearance once dry. Colorants are added to ink to change its color and can be a pigment or a dye. COLORANT FACTS: o Colorants are colored because of the absorption of light frequencies. O Colors absorbed are not seen, as we only see the colors bouncing back to the eye. VEHICLE / BINDER FACT The green of a leaf absorbs the blue and red of a spectrum but reflects the green The ink vehicle is the fluid part of the ink that transports the pigment or color to the surface the ink is adhering too. COLORANTS: PIGMENTED INKS O A dry colorant, usually ground into a powder (•) that is suspended in ink to provide color. o Can color things like paint, ink, fabric, cosmetics, food, etc. O Example In India, Hindus celebrate using brightly colored powders made from flower extracts, ash, and water at the Holi Festival. COLORANTS: DYE-BASED INKS O Stronger than pigments, creating more color density. O Dye-based inks dissolve in liquid. TYPES OF DYE-BASED INKS O Natural: Derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. Many stem from plant sources like roots, berries, bark, leaves, wood, fungi, lichens, and vegetables. o Advantages: Simplicity of use and reproduction of the same color, and is environmentally-friendly. O Disadvantages: A large amount of water is needed, and there are questions of permanency. O Example Chart of Colors: Reds: comes from an insect called a Cochineal. Oranges: one-seeded juniper plant.- Yellows: weedy flowery plants like pomegranate rind, onionskins, saffron. Greens: many times yellow is mixed with blue to produce green. Blues: is created from woad (an indigenous plant found in Europe). Purples: usually made from woad and indigo dyes mixed with red (cochineal or madder plant). Brown: wood of acacia trees. Greys/Blacks: Navajo weavers use lupine (blue flower) to mix cool grey and juniper mistletoe for warm grey. O Synthetic: Almost all colors you see today are synthetic dyes. o Origin: Discovered in the late 19th century, and took over the market for natural dyes. o Advantages: Cheap to produce, more permanent than natural dyes, wider color spectrum. O Disadvantages: Highly toxic to manufacture (factory workers have 40% higher risk of developing cancer, lung disease, and cerebrovascular disease than the general population), harmful to environment. o Application: Textiles, medicines, chemistry, plastics, printing ink, rubber, cosmetics, etc. cOmmon COMPONENTS: ADDITIVES Additional ingredients that alter the physical properties of ink that vary depending on the situation. O Some inks contain: D) Defoamers: reduce surface tension in water based inks PL) Plasticizers: enhance flexibility of printed film Waxes: promote rub resistance (PL) cOmmon COMPONENTS: CARRIER SUBSTANCES Substances added to ink to help transport and prep it for contact with desired surface. Sources: science.howstuffworks.com dyes-pigments.com spring04/ce457_527/Matt.pdf printwiki.org nzic.org.nz rsc.org academia.edu ccmr.cornell.edu greencotton.wordpress.com InkTechnologies.com www.INKTECHNOLOGIES.COM SAVING YOU MONEY WITH EVERY PRINT! TYPES OF DYE-BASED INKS VEHICLE / BINDER
The Chemistry of Color
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