India ink
A black ink of ancient Chinese origin, used for writing, drawing, and printing.
India ink—also called Indian ink or China ink—is a black or coloured ink originally used for writing and printing, now more common for drawing and outlining, especially in comic books and comic strips, as well as in medical applications. Its deep, rich black colour sets it apart from inks like iron gall ink.
The basic composition is fine soot (lampblack) suspended in water, forming a colloidal suspension that dries into a waterproof layer without needing a binder. However, binders such as gelatin or shellac are often added for durability. When a binder is used, the ink may be waterproof or non-waterproof; artist pens with India ink use an acrylic binder instead of shellac. It is sold in liquid form or as a solid inkstick, which must be ground and mixed with water before use.
The invention of India ink occurred in China. Woods and Woods (2000) place its origins in the middle of the 3rd millennium BC in Neolithic China, while Needham (1985) suggests it may have begun as early as 3,000 years ago. The English term “India(n) ink” arose from later trade with India. Oracle bones from the late Shang dynasty show incised characters filled with black carbonaceous pigment identified as ink. Documents on precious stones, bamboo, and wooden tablets from the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, and Qin periods have been found, and a cylindrical black ink artifact from a Qin tomb in Yunmeng, Hubei, dates to the 3rd century BC.
In India, use of ink—called *masi*, a mixture of several substances—dates to at least the 4th century BC. Indian documents in Kharosthi script written with this ink have been unearthed as far as Xinjiang, China. Writing with ink and a sharp needle was common in Tamil and other Dravidian languages from antiquity, and many ancient Buddhist and Jain scripts in India were compiled in ink. The carbon black for Indian ink was obtained by burning bones, tar, pitch, and other substances.
The traditional Chinese method involved grinding hide glue, carbon black, lampblack, and bone black pigment with a mortar and pestle, then pouring the mixture into a ceramic dish to dry. To use it, a wet brush was applied to rehydrate the dry mixture, or more commonly, a solid ink stick was rubbed against an inkstone with water.
- Also known as
- Indian ink, China ink, Chinese ink
- First known use in china
- middle of the 3rd millennium BC (Neolithic China) or perhaps as early as 3 millennia ago
- First known use in india
- at least the 4th century BC
- Common forms
- bottled liquid, solid inkstick
- Key ingredient
- lampblack (fine soot), water, sometimes binder (gelatin, shellac, or acrylic)
- Notable for
- deep, rich black colour; waterproof after drying if binder added
Lore & Background
The process of making India ink was known in China as early as the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, in Neolithic China, though some sources state inkmaking commenced perhaps as early as 3 millennia ago. India ink was first invented in China, but the English term India(n) ink was coined due to later trade with India. Oracle bones of the late Shang dynasty contain incised characters with black pigment identified as ink. Documents written in ink on precious stones, bamboo, and wooden tablets from the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, and Qin period have been uncovered. A cylindrical artifact made from black ink has been found in Qin tombs dating to the 3rd century BC from Yunmeng, Hubei.
In India, the ink has been in use since at least the 4th century BC, where it was called masi, an admixture of several substances. Indian documents written in Kharosthi with this ink have been unearthed in Xinjiang, China. The carbon black for Indian ink was obtained by burning bones, tar, pitch, and other substances. The traditional Chinese method involved grinding hide glue, carbon black, lampblack, and bone black pigment, then drying it. Pine soot was traditionally favored; from the Song dynasty onward, lampblack also became favored. The Ming author Song Yingxing described the inkmaking process from pine soot in his work Tiangong Kaiwu.
Reader's Guide
India ink holds significance as one of the earliest and most durable inks, with a history spanning millennia in East Asia and South Asia. Its deep, rich black colour and permanence made it highly sought after, with European observers in the 17th and 18th centuries noting that attempts to imitate it in France were unsuccessful. The ink's waterproof quality after drying, especially when a binder is added, has made it a staple for artists using watercolor or other liquid mediums, as it does not bleed once dry. It is commonly applied with a paintbrush or dip pen and is used in East Asian traditions such as ink wash painting and Chinese calligraphy, often in solid inkstick form. The ink's composition—carbon particles in colloidal suspension—allows it to form a waterproof layer without binder, though binders like shellac or acrylic are often added for durability. Its use in medical applications and in modern comic book inking demonstrates its enduring versatility.
Did You Know?
- In India, the carbon black for India ink was obtained by burning bones, tar, pitch, and other substances.
- The polymath Shen Kuo of the mid Song dynasty made ink from the soot of burning petroleum, which he believed was produced inexhaustibly within the earth.
More in Indian inventions 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced