Analysis of Ink Used in Ancient Documents Based on Printing Method

This study evaluates the ink type suitable for document restoration by analyzing ink used in woodblock, metal type-printed, and ancient handwritten documents. Among the commercially available inks, lampblack soot ink (vs. charcoal soot ink) exhibited relatively low hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen content and a high spreading ratio to Hanji. Moreover, compared to solid type inks, liquid type inks have a higher absorption ratio into Hanji at the same concentration; thus, drying time after printing is expected to be reduced. Furthermore, different types of ink were used depending on the printing method used in the ancient documents. Therefore, in the future, production efficiency can be improved by classifying ink types based on printing method and using liquid ink rather than solid ink to restore or reproduce histroical documents.