Methods and Precautions for Color Printing Ink Mixing:
Firstly, the color of the ink to be used should be preliminarily judged based on the hue of the original manuscript. Then, take an appropriate amount of each color of ink and place it on the ink mixing table for a small amount of mixing. When mixing, one principle should be followed: gradually add dark ink to light ink. Never take dark ink first and then add light ink, because light ink has poor coloring power. If you use the method of adding light ink to dark ink for mixing, it is not easy to adjust the hue accurately, which often makes the amount of ink increase more and more, which is undesirable. When the ink hue is adjusted to be similar to the original manuscript's hue, you can scrape the ink sample on printing paper and compare it with the original manuscript. If there is still color bias, add color to correct it until it meets the printing sample. After the ink hue is adjusted, the weight of each can be calculated so that they can be mixed in proportion for batch mixing. If three primary color inks are used to mix dark ink, their changing rules should be mastered to improve the effect of ink mixing. For example, equal amounts of three primary color inks mixed together result in a color close to black; two of the three primary color inks mixed equally or unequally can produce various secondary colors, whose hue tends towards the color with a higher content ratio; three primary color inks mixed respectively at various ratios can produce many complex colors; adding black ink to any colored ink will inevitably reduce its brightness and deepen its hue. Adding white ink will increase its brightness. Secondary colors and complex colors can be made from three primary color inks, but considering the convenience of mixing and trying to minimize the number of ink types, secondary color original inks can be used for mixing.
When mixing complex color inks, the principles of color should be well grasped, and it is not advisable to "add a bit of this color and a bit of that" for trial mixing. For example, the blue phase in pale lake green ink should use sky blue or peacock blue, and deep blue should be avoided because it has a red tinge, which will inevitably make the color grayish and not bright after mixing. Similarly, deep yellow ink with a reddish tinge should not be used; instead, light yellow ink with a bluish tinge should be used. For example, when mixing orange-red ink, rose red ink should not be selected because it has a bluish tinge, and the green formed by blue and yellow is the complementary color of red, which will make the ink lack brightness.
Some inks have unique hues. For example, the hue of vermilion is red with a yellow glow, which increases the brightness when used to mix orange. Printing orange color using orange-yellow ink may not achieve a bright effect and the print lacks authenticity. Mixing golden red with lemon yellow produces much better printing colors. For example, to print the lush green landscape scenery in early spring, it is advisable to use light yellow ink for mixing, which can print the adorable fresh green of tree leaves. If deep yellow ink is used, since it contains red, red being the complementary color of green, the printed tree leaves will inevitably be scorched, muddy, and fail to reflect the atmosphere of early spring.
In conclusion, mastering the correct methods and principles of ink mixing is crucial to achieving high-quality color printing results.