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printing ink

noun
  1. a type of ink that flows smoothly, dries quickly, and is of a consistency able to hold enough color to make printed matter legible: used to transfer the image on a press plate to the printing surface.
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Origin of printing ink

First recorded in 1670–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for printing ink

Historical Examples

  • The efficacy is attributed to the materials used in making the printing-ink.

    Miss Leslie's Lady's New Receipt-Book

    Eliza Leslie

  • The printing-ink has a tendency to keep off moths and other small insects.

  • They were executed in printing-ink by means of the ordinary printing-press.

    Old Time Wall Papers

    Katherine Abbott Sanborn

  • But the reek of printing-ink never was good for the better feelings.

    From One Generation to Another

    Henry Seton Merriman

  • They found that it possessed an unlooked-for advantage in its quick absorption of printing-ink.