These waterproof inks come in many colors and are the cartoonist's ink of choice. The ink's boldness reproduces well to print. It also dries very quickly thanks to the dissolved resin within the ink that adds a glossy finish upon drying, making it possible for an artist to overlay with another ink quickly without danger of smudging, running or bleeding. Indian ink, a black drawing ink with density varying by brand, is particularly popular among graphic artists, as it is deemed the only durable, light-proof ink in the drawing ink family.
Commonly used in inkwells and fountain pens, non-waterproof inks come in various forms. Unlike drawing inks, non-waterproof inks are thinner and thus unsuitable for print. A few inks are available designed to behave more like watercolors and absorb quickly into paper for a mat finish.
This type of ink is most often used for writing or photo replications on pastries, and is printed on a sheet made of rice or starch. Also, a select few boutique bakeries have made a business of making "fake foods," such as sushi and caviar, out of edible ink. Manufactured edible inks are approved by the FDA and are safe to eat. An inkjet printer can print out edible ink, but the printer itself must be used solely for printing food-based images in order to be considered safe, as most other printing inks are toxic. Old printers can be thoroughly cleaned out and converted to edible printing.
In tattoo ink, color pigments are held in a carrier solution, allowing the ink to spread evenly onto the skin. The specific solution for the carrier and pigments vary with each tattoo artist, yet for the carrier solution, alcohol or glycerine, or sterilized water are common ingredients. For the pigments, different solutions may be used for different colors. For example, according to the Patient's Guide, black ink may be composed of iron oxide and carbon, and green ink from chromium oxide or ferrocyanides. A dissolved form of plastic-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is used for especially vivid colors.
This printing ink is often used for printing in bulk for large businesses and newspaper printing. The non-headset variety of offset inks are used for newspaper publications, as it is absorbent and uncoated, and thus will not smudge. The headset variety includes a varnish that dries quickly and is often used for magazines and higher-end publications.