Ladies' Guild Meeting - March 2011
Wednesday, 2nd March was the first time that Revd Steve Wood came to give a talk to the Ladies Guild, as incumbent of the parish. As we waited, we speculated about the theme of his talk. The introduction brought a ripple of interest as he announced that he would talk about ink. Indeed, he spoke about ink with an in-depth knowledge that took the mind to uncharted areas. Steve started by saying that the last time he had addressed an all female group he had given a talk to about 600 pupils of Hitchin Girls’ School. He said that in Europe, 2kg of printing ink is used per head of population each year; in Portugal it is about half a kilogram and in Russia, 100 grams. This shows that ink usage is in proportion to culture and commerce.
When asked to think about ink usage, we all thought about newspapers. The quality of the ink rubbing off onto the fingers shows the variation in inks, skills of application and the cost of production. The Sun has the largest circulation, followed by the Mail and the Mirror. The Times circulation is about one sixth that of the Mail. The size of the Mail reflects the economy. At present it is about 70 pages long; it can be 130 pages in the best of times. Ink usage reflected in culture and economy is an unusual thought for most of us. The fact that magazine sales rise in difficult times may be the result of greater leisure for some. I wonder if it gives escape, even hope. Steve came prepared with his visual aids: pieces of paper, crisp bags, packets, cans, cardboard boxes, textured perfume presentation packs, credit cards and a mobile phone. He asked us to look carefully at the printing. Ink reacts differently on differing surfaces. Millions of pounds are spent on packaging. Branding is important. The use of a particular red for Kit Kat bars has led to the use of the term Kit Kat Red.
The printing process was next. Printing has come a long way from Gutenberg and Caxton. We were asked how we would apply ink to paper. There are three ways to tackle this problem: with the raised parts like a potato print, with holes dug into the surface to contain the ink or with a flat surface. This needs to be achieved without the ink spreading. Very early flat plates for printing were of stone so we have the word lithography, litho being Greek for stone. Metal plates are now used for good quality printing, as are used for stamps. The boast that one could eat fish and chips off The Daily Mail is because the print does not come off on your fingers. Quality counts. In some cases, the ink is applied in dots. The colours are blue, yellow, red and black. Huge print runs from enormous machines print one colour at a time to achieve the final effects.
The question from Steve was what is ink? He explained that resin from pine trees is imported from China. It arrives in steel drums and has to be melted for use. Nitrocellulose, which made us think of nail varnish and explosives, is dried in centrifuges (like our spin driers). This sometimes explodes so the factories are built with roofs which easily blow upwards to take the blast. I doubt many people consider this when buying a newspaper. In the past, shellac from beetles was used. The colour first came from natural materials like soot and plant dyes but now the source materials are coal and oil.
As our mining has declined this means imports from China and Korea are shipped in. Chemical “magic” occurs when 2 colourless chemicals produce a vibrant colour. Manufacturing processes need a huge amount of water. The Paisley designs were originally made near to sources of coal (the Edinburgh coal field) and water (the sea).
Culture has a huge effect on the choice of colour. Europeans like to see well tanned holidaymakers in pictures. Asians like to see paler skins. Americans use yellow reds for warmth, Asians use blue reds for coolness. The progress of the world, the development of cultures and the rise and fall of economies will, of course, affect the changes that happen in the future. There is a decline in printing but research leads to sophistication with active and intelligent coatings that indicate freshness. Oxygen scavengers detect an excess of oxygen in a packet of meat and “eat” the excess oxygen which extends the life of the food. Care for the environment is leading to use of natural materials such as using sugar instead of resins. Crisp bags are multi-layered; one layer with a coating will lead to less usage of materials.
Steve opened a few very interesting new doors for us. A worldwide effort to produce a package which is soon thrown away. Will we ever look at packaging in the same way again?