Dye ink vs Pigment ink - Safety

[citilayer]

Dear all,

As I have limited knowledge, could you share your opinions on the safety of dye inks vs pigment inks for human skin. Which one would be safer? Are both types of printer inks generally non-toxic?

[Alan Goldhammer]

You can find the Material Safety Data Sheets for inks on most manufacturers web sites.  This will let you know what if any safety issues there might be with the inks. Both types of ink contain dyes.  The pigment inks encapsulate the dyes in a polymer matrix.  The other safety consideration are the glycol solvents that are used in the formulation.  These tend to cause eye and skin irritation.  In their MSDNs Epson say to avoid contact with skin and eyes.  If on the skin, wash with soap and water; seek medical attention if irritation occrurs.

I'm not sure as to the reason for this question but skin exposure should be avoided and clearly in the course of normal printing there would not be any.

alan

[citilayer]

Thank you Alan got it

[picman]

Kind of curious, what about aerosols and evaporating solvents?
Does all the ink aimed at the paper stay on the paper?

[Paul2660]

No doubt some of it is in the air. All Epson prints outgas some of the glycol over time, (you can see this on RC prints by the fogging on the glass), however I believe that a room with good ventilation should be fine.  No so sure on the solvent printers, I have been to a couple of shops running the large 60" size and the smell was no pleasant. 

As far as inkjet, Epson, it would be safe to assume some of the glycol is passing to the air during the printing. 

Paul C

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

You can find the Material Safety Data Sheets for inks on most manufacturers web sites.  This will let you know what if any safety issues there might be with the inks. Both types of ink contain dyes.  The pigment inks encapsulate the dyes in a polymer matrix.  The other safety consideration are the glycol solvents that are used in the formulation.  These tend to cause eye and skin irritation.  In their MSDNs Epson say to avoid contact with skin and eyes.  If on the skin, wash with soap and water; seek medical attention if irritation occrurs.

Correct. Printer dyes are typically water soluble, and pigments not. Maybe the water soluble dyes are absorbed easier by our skin, I'm not sure, but both are best avoided to get into contact with skin.

I'm not sure as to the reason for this question but skin exposure should be avoided and clearly in the course of normal printing there would not be any.

Maybe the question has to do with printing on T-shirts or pillow cases.

Cheers,
Bart

[GrahamBy]

I suspect that anything not tested explicitly (as an ensemble or in individual components) on animals will have a warning to avoid skin contact. Since animal testing is expensive (and morally abhorrent), it will not be done unless there is a need to certify skin-safety. So the warning doesn't necessarily mean great harm will follow skin contact... but you have no way of knowing it won't.

[Alan Goldhammer]

I suspect that anything not tested explicitly (as an ensemble or in individual components) on animals will have a warning to avoid skin contact. Since animal testing is expensive (and morally abhorrent), it will not be done unless there is a need to certify skin-safety. So the warning doesn't necessarily mean great harm will follow skin contact... but you have no way of knowing it won't.

There is industrial exposure information on the glycols as they are commonly used in certain chemical manufacturing processes.  In addition, animal testing on this class of molecules was likely done some years ago when it was common to do so.  I think the skin safety information is founded on such data.

Another member asked about air exposure during printing.  Such exposure is minimal (nothing is ever zero) because of the short distance between the print head and paper and that the print head is shielded by the printer cover.

[citilayer]

Thank you for all the comments.

The purpose is to print temporary tattoos on paper, which is then applied to the skin by wetting the paper.

[Alan Goldhammer]

I would not do this as these inks can irritate the skin and are not meant for this use.  Some dyes can react with proteins on the skin surface and create autoimmune reactions that are sometimes difficult to get rid of and would require steroid treatment to full resolve.

Alan