Black Inks and Paint

This group comprehends dark writing substances made from pigment dispersions (for example, sepia, soot, and bister inks), dye solutions (for example, plant inks), chemical reactions (iron-gall inks), and mixtures of the aforementioned categories. While most of them are applied through the use of writing tools or implements, such as a brush, a pen or a quill, writing substances made from pigment dispersions are sometimes also rubbed as pastes into letters incised into the writing surface, where they increase visual contrast.