letterpress ink additives

Use additives sparingly. Ideally you will be printing additive-free. When you're facing challenges with your inks, some of these additives may help you out when used in moderation.

Van Son Three Way Drier: Some inks don't dry well. This can be because you're using rubber-based ink with a huge solid area, or maybe you're printing on a paper stock that doesn't dry easily. If you notice you're ink is not drying on the sheet in a reasonable amount of time, a very small drop of three-way drier can help keep your sheets from offsetting.

Van Son Anti-Skin Spray: prevent the skinning of inks when your press is inactive or when you need your setup to sit overnight. Anti-Skin Spray works as an airtight film which prevents the absorption of oxygen which dries the ink.  Spray directly on rollers or over ink in the can. Or you can spray directly into the ink mix to slow drying time.

Aqua Flo Varnish #30: use this resin varnish to give your ink body and shine.

Body Builder Finish: increases thickness and tack in the ink.