Subject FORENSIC SCIENCE

Paper No and Title Paper No .8: Questioned Document

Module No and Title Module No.9: Inks and its type

Module Tag FSC_P8_M9

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document

MODULE No. 9 : Inks and its type
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Learning Outcomes
2. Introduction to Ink
3. Composition of Ink
4. Key ingredients of Ink
4.1 Pigment
4.2 Difference between ink and dye
5. Classification of ink

6. Types of ink

7. Summary

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document

MODULE No. 9 : Inks and its type
 1. Learning Outcomes
After studying this module, you will be able to

 Know what are inks

 Learn the composition of ink
 Identify the difference between types of ink

2. Introduction to Ink

Ink is a type of colored liquid which is used to produce colored surface in different fields
like a painting image, text or any kind of design. For the origins of ink, we have to turn to
ancient Egypt, particularly the Old Kingdom. The ancient Egyptians used red pens and
needed ink. By 2697 BCE the Egyptians appear to have developed ink. Their ink
obtained its black color from carbon black or from finely pulverized pin ash. These
elements were added to lamp oil which contained a gelatin made from boiled donkey
skin. Unfortunately, this meant that the ink didn’t smell very good, so the Egyptians
added musk oil to give it a better smell.

The ancient Egyptians weren’t the only ones playing with ink at this time: in the 23rd
century BCE the Chinese were exploring the use of natural dyes mixed with graphite and
water to produce an ink that could be applied with brushes. India ink was developed in
India during the fourth century BCE. It was made from burnt bones, tar, pitch, and other
substances. Writing was done using this ink and a sharp pointed needle.

3. Composition of Ink

Ink is composed of solvents, pigments, dye, resins, lubricants, solubilizer, surfactant,

particular matter, fluoresces and other materials. Each component has its own importance
to make it more useful.
Ink formulas vary, but commonly involve four components:
 Colorants
 Vehicles (binders)
 Additives
 Carrier substances

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document

MODULE No. 9 : Inks and its type
 The earliest black writing inks, developed before 2500BC, were suspensions of
carbon, usually lampblack, in water stabilized with a natural gum or materials like egg
albumen. The pigment may or may not be colored, and the solvent may be aqueous or
organic.
Modern ink formulations are rather more complex. In addition to the pigment, they
contain many other ingredients in varying levels. Collectively known as 'vehicle', these
additional ingredients include pH modifiers, humectants to retard premature drying,
polymeric resins to impart binding and allied properties, defoamer/antifoaming agents
to regulate foam efficiency, wetting agents such as surfactants to control surface
properties, biocides to inhibit the fungal and bacterial growth that lead to fouling, and
thickeners or archeology modifiers to control ink application.
Printing inks contain colours which imparted by pigments rather than the dyes used in
writing inks. Pigments are insoluble, whereas dyes are soluble. Ink pigments are both
inorganic and organic. Most red writing inks are a dilute solution of the red dye eosin.
Blue colour can be obtained with substituted triphenylmethane dyes. Many permanent
writing inks contain iron sulfate and Gallic and tannic acids as well as dyes. Ballpoint
ink is usually a paste containing 40 to 50 per cent dye.
Most white inks contain titanium dioxide as the pigment, as rutile and anatase in
tetragonal crystalline form. However, growing concerns over the known toxicity of
heavy metals have led to the replacement of many inorganic pigments such as chrome
yellow, molybdenum orange and cadmium red with organic pigments, which offer
better light fastness and reduced toxicity. Furthermore, carbon black now replaces spiel
black, rutile black and iron black in nearly all black inks. In fact the ink industry is the
second largest consumer of carbon black.

4. Key ingredients of Ink

 Pigments (organic and inorganic)

 Dispersants (surfactants and polymers)
 Resins or polymers improve binding
 Humectants retard premature drying
 Defoamers and antifoaming agents
 Wetting agents enhance contact with the substrate
 pH modifiers (usually amine derivatives)
 Biocides and bacteriostats

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document

MODULE No. 9 : Inks and its type
 4.1 Pigment
Pigments are considered to be the chief constituent of an ink and contribute about 50%
of its cost. A pigment is essentially any particulate solid - coloured, black, white or
fluorescent - that alters the appearance of an object by the selective absorption and/or
scattering of light. It occurs as a colloidal suspension in ink and retains a crystal or
particulate structure throughout the coloring or printing process.
Organic pigments in modern inks are identified by a Colour Index System number that
reflects the colour shade or hue, and structural and chronological details (order of
synthesis) of the pigment. For example the well-known blue pigment copper
phthalocyanine blue is PB 15. The colour intensity (strength) of a pigment increases as
the particle size reduces, and the opacity peaks around a particle size of 0.3µm. The
molecular structures of four important pigments used in ink are shown below.

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document

MODULE No. 9 : Inks and its type
 Fluorescent pigments have a variety of applications, such as in security inks to prevent
forgery, in traffic light signals, poster boards and advertising. However, instead of
comprising multiple layers of calcium carbonate and protein, pearlescent pigments
contain flakes of mineral mica (lower refractive index) coated with layers of titanium
dioxide (higher refractive index).

4.2 Difference between Pigment and Dye

Pigment
A pigment is a dry, powdery substance that must be mixed with a liquid like water to
leave behind black, white or color. The pigment is not necessarily water soluble, but it
may remain suspended in the liquid (much as is the case for a “colloid").Pigment
particles tend to bond to edges within the chosen medium, a reason why these inks tend
to last longer and resist fading over time.

Dye
Dye-based inks tend to be cheaper and water soluble. Dye ink generally takes more time
to dry and results can be poor if a drop of water hit a page. Colors are brighter because
various optical compounds are added to dye ink to enhance the color. However, these
compounds have a low resistance to light or to UV rays, especially since dye-based inks
are usually spread more thinly than pigment inks on the surface. Fading can be an issue if
your document will be exposed to the sun.

5. Classification of Inks

Inks generally fall into three classes:

 Aqueous
 Paste
 Powder

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MODULE No. 9 : Inks and its type
 The liquid that carries the colorant water is referred to as aqueous inks. Water based inks
come in two varieties that is dye and pigment. Dye ink is water dissolved in colour as
they are cordials and are best in use. The colorant which is used in dye have a tiny size
and allow a very small dot size which allows detailed images with smooth tone. Dye inks
will fade in UV light and if water is poured onto a dye the colorant dissolves in the water
again and washes away or runs. So dye inks are not waterproof.

Properties of Ink
 Ballpoint ink is specially formulated to be thick and fast-drying. Its viscosity
is precisely controlled: it must be as thick as possible but still thin enough to
flow down the barrel of the pen in response to gravity.
 Ballpoint pen inks use dye because the tiny particles of undissolved pigment
can clog the ball of the pen.
 Ballpoint pen ink is usually oil-based to give it its thickness. Oil also is why
ballpoint pen ink dries quickly and is permanent and water-fast.
 Fountain pen ink is a water based ink (dye) intended for use with fountain
pens. Red ink usually contains the eosin dye where as blue ink often contains
triarylmethane dye.
 Gel pen ink is a pigment suspended (colloidal) in water based gel and it is
opaque and thick in appearance.

6. Types of ink

Indian Ink-
It consists of amorphous carbon in the form of lampblack made into a cake with hide
glue. The colour of this ink, which can vary from dark brown to blue-black, is governed
by the quality of the lampblack, which again depends largely upon the materials from
which the lampblack is made.

Fountain Pen Ink -

They can be divided into-
(i) Blue-black Permanent - This is a record in which it contains about half the normal
concentration of iron compounds with an increased proportion of dyestuff.

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document

MODULE No. 9 : Inks and its type
 (ii) Non-staining - It consists of no iron salts and is a little more than a dilute aqueous
solution of one or more synthetic dyestuff.
Ball-point Pen Ink -
This ink is base on polyethylene glycols of suitable viscosity. They are non-hygroscopic
and its dyestuff is of high tinctorial powder.
Logwood Ink -
It is obtained by mixing chromium salts with an aqueous extract of logwood chips.
Iron gall ink is a purple-black or brown-black ink made from iron salts and tannic
acids from vegetable sources.

7. Summary

 Ancient Egyptians ink is obtained as black color from carbon black or from finely
pulverized pin ash.
 In India it was made from burnt bones, tar, pitch, and other substances.
 Ink is composed of solvents, pigments, dye, resins, lubricants, solubilizer,
surfactant, particular matter, fluoresces and other material.
 Key ingredients of ink Pigments (organic and inorganic), Dispersants (surfactants
and polymers),Resins or polymers improve binding, archeology and mechanical
properties, Humectants retard premature drying, Defoamers and antifoaming
agents, Wetting agents enhance contact with the substrate, pH modifiers (usually
amine derivatives), Biocides and bacteriostats.

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No. 8: Questioned Document

MODULE No. 9 : Inks and its type