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

Authors: Wencai Xu; Lixia Huo; Shiyong Luo; Xinlin Zhang; Junyan Zhao; Yong Hao; Zhaisu Ma

Addresses: The Laboratory of Printing & Packaging Material and Technology, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Beijing 102600, China ' The Laboratory of Printing & Packaging Material and Technology, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Beijing 102600, China ' The Laboratory of Printing & Packaging Material and Technology, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Beijing 102600, China ' The Laboratory of Printing & Packaging Material and Technology, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Beijing 102600, China ' The Laboratory of Printing & Packaging Material and Technology, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Beijing 102600, China ' ShanXi New Jinding Culture Industrial Development Co., Ltd., Taiyuan 030012, China ' ShanXi New Jinding Culture Industrial Development Co., Ltd., Taiyuan 030012, China

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.

Keywords: ancient art; replication; duplication; printable aqueous ink; traditional materials; Chinese ink; screen printing; ancient books; calligraphy; China; ink making materials; turpentine soot; wood oil soot; bone glue; starch; medicinal herbal juices; anti-microbial; fragrance; colour regulation; colour hue; colour gradation; smell; sharpness; rheology behaviour; durability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMP.2015.072904

International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties, 2015 Vol.10 No.3/4, pp.296 - 306

Published online: 07 Nov 2015 *

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