Who invented ink

These pens were made from a single reed straw that is pointed at one end and with a slit that led the ink to the point and left the mark on the papyrus. Because of that people started using quills - pens made from molted flight feathers of large birds.

These pens were also made by making a point at thicker end but feathers were cured before the use and could maintain the point longer. They were popular in the Western World from the 6th to the 19th century until steel pens appeared.

Metal nibs for dip pens were used in Ancient Rome but were not popular until they were mass produced in 19th century. Pens with reservoirs were known since 10th century but were not widely used. In 17th century, inventor Daniel Schwenter made a pen made from two quills that held the ink inside instead of being dipped into inkwell.

End of the 19th century saw also the first ballpoint pen which was, when modernized, even more practical and cheaper than fountain pen. The first fiber or felt-tipped pen was invented in Japan in s and it later developed into marker pen and highlighter which work on the similar principle.

The first writing ink was invented in B. It is believed that this ink was made by mixing carbon with gum. It was then shaped into sticks and dried, before use it was dipped in water and made ready for writing. Chinese inventor Tien- Lcheu was the one who made the ink by mixing soot from pine trees and lamp oils. Gelatin was also used with this mixture. The black writing ink gained popularity by B. Nutgalls, iron salts and gum were also added to this recipe and it became the standard formula for the writing ink for a number of years.

This was made of burnt bones, tar and other substances. While this solution has to be some sort of liquid, oil-based vessels work better for binding the pigment to the medium. Today this is usually some sort of vegetable based oil, but in the initial days of ink creation, the vessel was often some sort of animal fat.

These chemical ink combinations gained popularity in the early s as the quick drying properties of petroleum based inks enabled newspapers to be printed and dried much faster than with non-petroleum ink carriers.

In the s, with the oil crisis, printers began looking for alternatives as petroleum prices sky-rocketed. Thus enters the popularity of soy-based and other vegetable-based inks. These inks, as covered in our sustainability discussion, are much more sustainable and have much fewer adverse impacts on the environment.