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Ink in Tubes
for
Letterpress Printers
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"Any color as long as it's black"
may have been a catchy
line for Hery Ford to describe the colors
available for his Model T automobile color
choice 90 years ago - back when many of our
presses were made - and we may choose black
ink for legibility when printing text, but
in today's small print shop, color is an
integral part of design, and "any color as long as
it's black" just won't do.
But,
buying a full color selection of one-pound
cans of less-frequently used colors can cost
a bit. See http://order.nagraph.com/ink.html
for a selection of inks available in one
pound cans and 1/4 pound tubes.
See below for a full
listing of ink available from "The Ink in Tubes Guy" - Dave
Robinson - Ink@ORCHIDesign.com in
approx. 1/4 pound tubes - an excellent
option for the small print shop.
Another recently-discovered option is Southern
Ink. They offer a full line of ink in
tubes for letterpress printing.
Another option we recommend in our Introduction
to Letterpress Printing tutorial
sessions, is to befriend a local offset
printer and see if you can get some small
amounts of possibly left-over mixed inks -
or half-empty cans of no-longer used inks
they may have on their shelves.
Most of them will be using rubber-based inks
- often Van
Son - which run fine on the
letterpress.
See also: Ink-buying
for Beginners at Briar Press
History
of Ink in Tubes
For
the approximately 100 years while the Kelsey
Company was in business, they sold in
ink in 1/4-pound tubes, which cost less to
buy - and to ship. And, since many
letterpress projects require only as much
ink as would fill a thimble, stocking up
with hundreds of dollars worth of one-pound
cans is not always practical.
Besides, with ink in tubes, there is almost
no waste. With cans, "skimming" the top to
get to fresh ink can waste more than you
will use!
Many old tubes of Kelsey ink surface these
days in the boxes of supplies that sometimes
have been stored for years along with that
rusty old press someone had found in a
garage, attic or basement. And, surprising
to some, many of those old tubes contain
perfectly usable ink as many as 50 years
after they were filled.
But the Kelsey Company is gone and aside
from the occassional discovery of a tube or
two of old ink that's still usable, their
inks are no longer available.
And then, for many years, Van Son
Ink offered their inks in 1 pound cartridges
which could be used with a standard
"caulking gun". Sad to say, they are no
longer offered, either.
But
Ink in Tubes are back!
Dave
Robison in San Jose, CA
offers ink in tubes to letterpress
printers.
Note: While offset
presses may have problems printing
with letterpress inks, offset inks -
like the ones that Dave offers,
generally work just fine on the
letterpress.
Oil based
vs Rubber based vs Soy based inks:
Oil base inks dry on any stock and must be
cleaned off press at day's end. Soy base
inks print just like regular oil base but
may take a bit longer to dry. Rubber base
inks may be left on press overnight if you
must, but are not advised for printing on
coated stock. A few inks for Tyvek also
available. Additional colors are on hand but
not in tubes yet, and some other colors are
available by Special Order; please ask about
specific colors you may want, but allow
plenty of time for putting in tubes and
printing labels.
Almost everybody using these inks is doing
letterpress printing, but (except as noted)
these inks are not "letterpress inks" per
se, they're standard modern offset inks
packed into 1/4 lb. tubes for convenience.
The inks are very suitable for letterpress,
but pigments are intense and colors may
print darker when printed letterpress due to
ink film thickness. You may have to mix with
white to match some colors.
"Putting
ink in tubes, started to share ink among
local letterpress friends, is a tiny, very
part-time hobby operation trying to make
the best use of available ink. It's also a
great excuse to use my vintage
hand-cranked Multigraph rotary printing
press and handset type to print labels and
boxes!"
- Dave Robison
"Ink In
Tubes" Updated Price &
Availability Lists - June, 2013
INK IN TUBES
on hand; "Quarter pound" (actually about 5
oz.)
-
OIL BASE STANDARD COLORS
-
ADDITIONAL OIL BASE COLORS
[Many other colors
available but not in tubes yet; ask!]
-
OIL BASE PANTONE BASIC COLORS
- White (transparent,
for mixing)
- Pantone Yellow
- Warm Red
- Rubine Red
- Rhodamine Red
- Pantone Purple
- Pantone Violet
- Reflex Blue
- Process Blue
- Pantone Green
- Pantone Black
- SOY BASE INKS
-
RUBBER BASE INKS
- many colors
available
- [Be
sure to specify "rubber base" when
ordering!]
-
METALLIC INKS (about 6-8 oz. per tube)
- FLUORESCENT
INKS
- 801 Fluorescent
Blue
- 803 Fluorescent
Yellow
- 804 Fluorescent
Orange
- 805 Fluorescent
Red
- 806 Fluorescent
Pink
- 807 Fluorescent
Magenta
-
LETTERPRESS INKS
- Letterpress Red
- Letterpress Blue
- Letterpress Green
- Letterpress Purple
-
VARNISHES
- Gloss Binding
Varnish
- Dull (Matte)
Varnish
- Satin Varnish
Placing an order:
Oil base ink will be shipped unless
specified otherwise. We try to keep most
listed ink in tubes on the shelf ready for
immediate shipment.
contact Dave via email at ink@orchidesign.com
Shipping within the U.S.:
(note: dated rates; may have changed for 2013)
1 tube $3.50 First Class
Up to 10 tubes of ink, USPS Priority Flat
Rate $11.35;
11-14 tubes, $15.45.
Payment: Send a check to:
Dave Robison
1361 Plum St.
San Jose, CA 95110
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photos from http://duetletterpress.com/blog/category/letterpress/
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last updated June 6, 2009 June
16, 2012 May 14, 2013
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