A printable ancient-imitated aqueous ink prepared from traditional Chinese ink making materials

Abstract

A printable ancient-imitated aqueous ink without any chemical synthetic additives was prepared from traditional Chinese materials for ink making. Turpentine soot and China wood oil soot were used as the black pigments with a mixture of bone glue and starch aqueous solution being used as the ink vehicle. Various Chinese medicinal herbal juices were used to give the ink multiple functions, such as anti-microbial, fragrance and colour regulation. The colour hue, colour gradation, smell and sharpness of the ink stroke are adjustable, which is very important for the precise duplication of ancient books by screen printing. The harmful substances in the ink are few and much less than the limits set in the Chinese national standard. The rheology behaviours of the ink were characterised. The durability of the printed sample is excellent, which is supported by test results from the water-ethanol immersion, light fastness and antimicrobial tests.