David Savastano, Ink World Editor10.09.09
Any ink maker can tell you how a certain test is performed. Testing for color? Use a spectrophotometer. Testing for viscosity? Use a viscometer. And so on.
Every ink maker also knows why these tests are performed. If an ink doesn’t perform the way it’s supposed to, it won’t last very long in the marketplace. With the multitude of products and companies out there, a customer will gladly go to a competitor for ink if they can get a more reliable product. If the life of the product and the reputation of the company are at all important to the ink chemist, then testing is important too.
This general answer to the question, “why do we test?” is a serviceable answer, but there is certainly more to be said. What does one look at when testing certain aspects of an ink, such as color, viscosity and rub? What do the results mean? Questions like these deserve a deeper look.
Viscosity
Put simply, viscosity is a measure of the thickness of an ink on a press. Mea
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