Mix prepress oil-based ink with artists oil paint?
I’ve searched and can’t find an answer similar. I have some prepress oil-based ink from “ink in tubes” but I don’t have any white. I’m a painter and have some white oil paint. I want to make a lighter value in some colors, can I just use my white from painting? I’ve been in contact trying to get some white from Dave at “ink in tubes” and I’ll eventually get it, but it’s been a slow response as I’m sure he’s busy. I’m printing soon though, way before I’ll get the white from him. You think it’ll be fine to mix?
Another question would be about varnishes. Are printing varnishes different from a painters varnish or Galkyd? I’m assuming printers varnish is a bit thicker like the paint so it’ll stay on the rollers?
They’re different substances, yes.
In small amounts up to 10% I can’t see why some oil paint would make a huge difference in the ink’s action, other than changing the viscosity of it, but I really wouldn’t expect it to dry as quickly or have the same printing character as normal ink.
Further, the varnishes are totally different from printing varnish both in content and action. Printing varnish is viscous stuff most of the time, FAR more viscous than alkyd or other painting oriented varnishes- we’re talking more than the difference between elmers glue and whipped cream in their respective viscosities.
In any case, your stuff won’t suffer too much if you use the oil paint VERY conservatively in conjunctiopn with ink, but why don’t you save yourself potential headaches and order some oil ink from someone like boxcar or vanson or even graphic chemical or takach press? (google any of those)
… but if you google, don’t look for “pre-press ink” because there is no such thing. Pre-press refers to things like film, stripping and platemaking. Call this printer’s ink (to distinguish it from printmaking ink, fountain pen ink, etc.).
“Printmaking” ink that is relief printmaking or litho printmaking ink ought to work for your purposes as well, so long as you don’t buy “etching” ink.
What’s the negative with etching ink? I have a whole batch of it that came with something else I bought.
Thanks for this info. The reason I’m not ordering ink from any of those companies is because it’s all in 1lb cans and I’d never use that much ink in a lifetime.
helimited, you did mention relief printmaking inks, which I could get “speedball” brand oil ink from my local art store. this should work? I’m just going to get white for value shifts and don’t need too much.
It just doesn’t work as well with letterpress inking systems because it’s a ‘short’ ink in most cases. It’s tack is not designed to function with rollers as well as it is to wipe off of things- the polymers in it’s vehicle, the boiled linseed oil common in most oil based inks, are shorter than that of a litho ink- which is a ‘long’ ink.
To explain in more detail- If you have a blob of etching ink and an equally sized (volume wise) blob of litho or relief/letterpress ink, and you push an ink knife into it, the litho ink will “stretch” further, meaning it is “longer”, wheras the intalgio/etching ink will be “shorter”. This translated to different roller properties, difference mainly being in the “tack” of the ink.
So- I think the answer is that it’s not a pressure/ink transfer issue from the plate to the paper, so much as an inking issue from the rollers to the form.
You may have some success with it, but it’s not “ideal”.
Query:
“helimited, you did mention relief printmaking inks, which I could get “speedball” brand oil ink from my local art store. this should work? I’m just going to get white for value shifts and don’t need too much.”
Answer:
Yes, I personally think so, so long as the base ink you’re using actually is FOR letterpress, and not some other kind of ink like what parallel mentioned. I totally missed “prepress ink” when I read your post- my dyslexia mistook it as letterpress ink.
If you already have oil based letterpress ink, great.
If not, maybe you will want to buy a can each of the relief ink to try out. Be wary of WATER BASED ink though- make sure it is in fact oil based as you said above.