At the exact moment you print a page on a printer, some questions may arise: How does the ink stick to the paper?
Paints contain pigments that are nothing more than water-insoluble chemical compounds and oily compounds. An example of a pigment is titanium dioxide, it has a white color and has the most varied applications, from paints to confectionery products.
The inks in general, both for pens and for printers, have in their basic formulas a pigment (particles well reduced responsible for the color), a suspending agent and an adhesive substance (for the paint to remain fixed). In addition, the surface to be printed also needs to provide ideal conditions: it needs to be tacky and clean (free of loose particles such as dust, for example).
Each paper has fibers in its composition and its adhesion is directly related to this characteristic. The greater the number of fibers, the better it will be for printing. Proof of this is the so-called blotting paper (poor in fibers), the ink spread on its surface does not dry as long as a suspending agent is not applied, it is when it evaporates that the pigments remain in the paper.
By Líria Alves
Graduated in Chemistry
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/quimica/tinta-fixa-no-papel.htm
