Communication technology is advancing faster than ever in our digital world, so why is the Pitt's Center for Creativity and University Library System so excited about the arrival of a printing press from the 1960s? In this episode, we talk with our friends in the University of Pittsburgh Library System’s Archives and Special Collections to learn about some of the mysteries of ink and what makes it a fleeting yet exciting material to work with. Thanks to our guests, Jeanann Haas and Anaïs Grateau.  

Processing... is a production of the Center for Creativity at the University of Pittsburgh. Many thanks also this season to our partners at the University Library System as well as Archives & Special Collections. More information about the new Text & conText Lab can be found at creative.pitt.edu/text-context-lab 

In this episode  

• 01:32 What makes something an ink 
• 07:05 Iron Gall Ink is weird
• 10:58 The many enemies of ink
• 15:19 Preserving modern inks  
• 17:21 The future of the medium and its creative uses

External Links: 

• An article from realcolorwheel.com gives some in-depth information about just some of the history of ink: http://www.realcolorwheel.com/ink.htm#:~:text=The%20first%20printing%20inks%20in%20use%20until%201864,can%20still%20be%20added%20to%20printing%20ink.%20Printing. 
•  Chad Brown’s Ink Workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKkyoOwp6_I.  
• Processing… 105 with Ana Rodriguez Castillo: https://soundcloud.com/pittc4c/c4c-processing-season-1-ep-5-ana-rodriguez-castillo.  
• ULS Archives and Special Collections: https://www.library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
• Audobon’s Birds of America: https://digital.library.pitt.edu/collection/audubons-birds-america 
• Japanese wood blocks: https://digital.library.pitt.edu/collection/barry-rosensteel-japanese-print-collection  
• The Leuba Collection: https://digital.library.pitt.edu/collection/walter-martha-leuba-papers 
• Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions: sessions.blue