Printing Pigment

The amount of lecithin to use may vary depending on the type of pigment. Generally, 1% of the pigment weight is sufficient. However, in formulas with large surface area pigments (carbon black, iron blue, etc.) up to 4% of the pigment weight may be required. The lecithin should be dispersed in the vehicle and used in the pigment grinding and dispersion stage. In this method, the pigment is ground with 20-30% of the vehicle which contains the lecithin. This grinding slurry is milled for a predetermined time (usually 30-60 minutes), after which the remainder of the grinding vehicle is added and milling continued until complete.