Dala Block Ink

Block Printing Ink

Dala Block Printing Ink is a water-based product, suitable for lino, mono or block printing. Printers have traditionally used solvent or oil based systems. These systems used to offer one major advantage over their water-based equivalents. Their ‘open time’ has until now been far superior. This means that they stay wet for longer, allowing you an unlimited amount of time to print before the ink dries on you image. Our ink has an extended open time, often in excess of 24 hours, depending on the thickness of the ink film and prevailing weather conditions.This will grant you the time to do multiple prints without having to wash the lino, block, rollers or roll out glass.

Further advantage of the Dala water-based system is that it is much more beneficial to one’s health, as it eliminates problems with the use and disposal of solvents and that although the open time has been extended to beyond 24 hours on the block, the drying time on absorbent paper is approximately 40 minutes. Oil based inks are as slow to dry on the paper as they are on the block. Logistically this leads to problems in the classroom - what do you do with hundreds of drying prints? With the water-based system, the students can take them home or file them away at the end of the day