What Makes Permanent Ink Permanent?
Permanent ink is such a large part of our everyday lives that we rarely think about it. Without it, however, you might have to carry around stone tablets in your backpack, or slates. Your books would have all faded, or would not have existed at all, if not for the development of permanent ink. What makes permanent ink permanent? A variety of methods have been tried over thousands of years and a few have survived and continue to be used today, while newer chemical methods have also been developed and are the most popular.
Other People Are Reading
-
History
-
Writing in cave walls is the earliest known form of writing, but it wasn't very portable. The Greeks then invented writing implements made of bone or ivory to scratch marks into wax-coated tablets. The Chinese, approximately 5,000 years ago, went a few steps further and created ink from soot and oil, thickened with gelatin from animal skins. This was not used directly for writing but for painting the surface of raised words already carved into stones. Eventually, the ink was used to make the words, without carving the stone first.
Many cultures have developed ink for writing and drawing over the last several thousand years. Berries, plants and minerals have been combined in many ways to make different ink and paint colors eventually used for writing. Paper was also being developed and the Early Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Hebrews soon used paper made from the papyrus plant and parchment from animal skins to write on.
Carbon inks, those made by mixing soots and oils, have been the most popular over the years and are still used today by artists. This ink is commonly known as India or Sumi ink, and while it is considered to be permanent, there are examples of documentation that has gotten wet and the ink lost its permanence.
Definition
-
According to the Random House dictionary, the word "permanent," in reference to ink, means to be "long-lasting, or non-fading." Sharpie, a company well known for its development of a variety of permanent markers, claims that a marker can be considered permanent if it "adheres to most surfaces and/or is water resistant; and uses dyes or pigments."
Inks that contain pigment, as opposed to dye, will resist fading better. Dyes are soluble in water, whereas pigments are not. Pigments can also withstand light longer than dyes, although dyes are generally available in a wider variety of colors.
-
Ingredients
-
The Sanford Company, which is now more commonly known as "Sharpie," has been manufacturing permanent inks since 1857. The various markers and inks available from this company use pigments and dyes as well as the chemicals n-propanol (related to rubbing alcohol), n-butanol (a flammable hydrocarbon like gasoline) and n-diacetone alcohol (a solvent).
Features
-
Just how permanent is permanent? Even the folks at Sharpie can't promise that their very permanent ink will last forever. If, for example, you write or draw on something with a permanent marker and leave it outside to the elements, it's possible it will only last several months. If you use a marker on a porous surface and leave it inside, however, it could last several years or much longer. The type of surface the ink is used on is a large factor to its permanence. Historically, inks would fade or "disappear" from some papers or other surfaces because the ink would not combine with the acidic nature of the paper. Today, some markers are made for glossy surfaces, hard surfaces, compact discs, laundry and the like. All of these ink offerings combine their pigments and chemicals in a variety of ways so as to best suit the surface for which they are made.
Warnings
-
Tattoos and permanent make-up are common uses for permanent ink, and while tattooing has been around for thousands of years, the inorganic nature of today's permanent dyes and pigments can make tattooing more dangerous. While most tattoo inks are carbon-based, the dyes and pigments often have chemical compounds in them that can cause allergic reactions. In addition, allergic reactions are common when people write on their skin with permanent marker, so this is not a practice that should be undertaken often.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit ink spots image by dip from Fotolia.com
