Charbonnel Ink for rich solids
I’ve seen a lot of discussion about ink here at Briar Press…. oil based, rubber based, water based and so forth….. from many manufacturers. What I’ve never seen mentioned is the use of Charbonnel Ink for letterpress. It finally dawned on me that most letterpress folks probably don’t even know it exists since the American vendors only list it for use as an Art/Etching ink.
This is unfortunate since it is one of the highest quality inks on the market. Because it is intended primarily for use with copperplate / itaglio / etchings and similar work, it is VERY heavily pigment loaded and smooth, which translates into very rich solids when used as a letterpress ink. I’ve found that by using it on a small press like a Kelsey 3x5, I can easily print a far larger solid area than I can with regular oil or bubber based inks…. and when used with dampened paper on a flatbed press, the results are incredible. Also, I’ve found them to be the best as far as lightfasness goes.
There are a few drawbacks in using this ink, however:
First, It is a little more costly per pound. For small items like invitations and so forth, or Art Prints, this is not a problem. For books or work of lesser importance, it might be too costly.
Secondly, because it is so heavily pigment loaded, a little bit goes a long way… and thus it is a bit harder to clean up and keep clean. With most oil based inks you can wipe an inky finger on your apron or pants and keep printing. With this stuff you need to be more careful. Ink on your apron will transfer to your arm…. and then to your shirt…. and so forth and so on.
Third, I’ve found that it dries just a tad too slow to be useful on a fast press like a Windmill. For printing with a hand operated press like a Kelsey, it does fine. With a fast press, you run the risk of setting-off.
Finally…. it is less viscous than most letterpress ink, which makes one think it’s too oily. It’s not too oily, but it does handle differently on the press which means you have to experiment a bit to get a consistent coverage throughout a run.
If you haven’t tried Chabonnel Ink for letterpress, you might want to consider it. It works in my shop.
This is good information. I’ve been using Handschy litho ink (Master Palette System), since that was what my letterpress teacher recommended. It too is pricey, but it definitely produces better results than the soy inks they had at letterpress school. I looked up the Charbonnel inks at Renaissance Graphics, and they list seven pages of products. Which ones have you tried?
Barbara
Barbara
There has been some discussion on the use of Charbonnel ink for printing solids on PPLetterpress in the past. Check the archives for detailed information. Setswell Compound is a useful additive in this regard.
Gerald
Thanks Gerald. The discussion on PPLetterpress was very helpful. I have a question about the Setswell: I’ve been adding it directly to the rider roller (on a Vandercook) to improve coverage and depth of color on a job while it’s on the press. I apply a series of very tiny dabs (how’s that for precision?). This has worked very well for me, but I wonder if you’re supposed to mix the Setswell into the ink beforehand, to better define the proportions.
Barbara
Barbara
You should add it on the slab. Applying ink additives directly to the rider isn’t advisable, for the reason you surmise. A very small amount is all that is required.
Gerald
FYI - Graphic Chemical sells the Charbonnel inks for somewhat less than Renaissance Graphic does.
Also, I’ve been very happy using Graphic Chemical’s Litho Senefelder’s Crayon Black with a Vandercook. A very stiff ink with nice solid deep black coverage. it is about $10 cheaper than Charbonnel.
FYI - Graphic Chemical sells the Charbonnel inks for somewhat less than Renaissance Graphic does.
Also, I’ve been very happy using Graphic Chemical’s Litho Senefelder’s Crayon Black with a Vandercook. A very stiff ink with nice solid deep black coverage. it is about $10 cheaper than Charbonnel.
The Lithographic Senefelder’s Crayon Black No. 1803 is superb for all around Vandercook work. It can be cut with Graphic Chemical’s Graphic Litho Roll Up Black No. 1921 if need be (for use on platen presses or to loosen it up for solids).
Gerald
I’m doing some research on inks because I’ve been having mixed results temporarily using letterpress ink (Van Son oil and rubber) for copper plate intaglio until I can get some actual intaglio ink. According to Dean Clark of Graphic Chemical Company in discussions posted on his company’s website:
“Letterpress inks, like most relief inks need tack, and one other thing that etching inks don’t have - high pigment loads.
It is unlikely that a true etching ink (as opposed to the Perfection Palette inks) will give you a good letterpress print. The level of pigment in etching inks is significantly less than that in relief and litho inks thus giving you a weak print when printing with a thin film like you do with letterpress.”
And in another post:
“Relief inks are much more highly pigmented than etching inks, because you get your total color with a very thin film of ink, as opposed to an etching where the color is derived from a much thicker layer of ink.”
This seems the complete opposite of what has been described previously. I’m not questioning anyone’s results but what is the low-down on the differences between the inks and are these differences the reason I’m having some difficulty with what I’m doing?
Rich
Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com
I also just found these Briar Press posts from a UK member from a similar discussion:
“Graphic chem also recommended their Perfection Palette etching inks to me - they have a high pigment load and are available from tn lawrence and intaglio printmaking, london.”
And:
“Standard etching inks are also, less highly pigmented. An etching ink is designed to achieve its color in a thick film. Relief type inks, including letterpress, are designed to achieve their color with a very thin film, hence they are more highly loaded with pigment.
“There is a significant difference between a standard etching ink and a Perfection Palette ink. The latter will work reasonably well for letterpress because as crossover inks, their pigment load is similar to any relief ink. When they are used for traditional etching, the colors will print darker than they do for relief because of this load. The former, traditional etching inks are not good prospects for the letterpress technique.”
Rich
Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com
Rich
This has been my experience as well. Etching inks are less finely ground than stone litho inks, a bit too grainy, and dry quite fast (I’ve had etching inks come off the rollers in thin solid sheets). Not at all suitable for letterpress IMHO, though, they will clean off the glaze on your rollers quite nicely.
I am quite sold on Lithographic Senefelder’s Crayon Black No. 1803 and the related inks in that series from Graphic Chemical.
Gerald
http://BielerPress.blogspot.com
Van Son inks are not letterpress or relief inks; they are offset lithographic inks. In the past, litho inks were made with more pigment than letterpress inks, because the offset process lays down a thinner layer of ink than letterpress. In those days the inks also use different vehicles, offset requiring amore expensive water-resistant varnish. How the few real letterpress (as opposed to block printing) inks compare now, who knows.
rpolinski…. yes, I’ve seen Dean Clark’s opinion, and don’t really agree with him. The Charbonnell Inks that I’ve used are very heavily pigmented, very smooth, and put down a beautiful image. It is a rather slow-drying ink, which makes it perfect for long, slow runs. (Of course I am speaking of Charbonnell Ink, and not of other brands…. or of etching inks in general.)
I’ve posed the question about using etching ink for letterpress to the Charbonnell folks in France, and they tell me that their current “Etching Ink” is the same formulation that was sold as letterpress ink in years past.
Reading through all of the posts, it becomes obvious that the useability of “Etching Ink” varies greatly from brand to brand…. so I’d recommend testing any ink before buying it in quantity.
Winking
I’ve had success with a couple of different Charbonnell inks. You seem to suggest that Charbonnell inks are etching inks? I can’t seem to find anything contrary to this in your statements here. If I am wrong, sorry, but just for the record, Charbonnell makes inks for all the differing printmaking processes, not just etching.
Gerald
http://BielerPress.blogspot.com