Alugbati (Basella alba) stem and fruit extract as an alternative printer ink.

I. Introduction and Background of the Study:

Handwriting, is one form of human communication by means of a set of visible marks that are

related, by convention, to some particular structural level of language. Handwriting is a very important

and powerful tool used in everyday life. Handwriting is used to store information, make a permanent

record, and for communication. But the only problem is, handwriting take so much time to do and to

finish a specific works and because not all people have a good handwriting and that’s make the

communication harder and may lead to misunderstanding. But because of our today’s technology a new

form of writing is now introduced.

The invention of printing at the dawn of the age of the great discoveries was in part a response

and in part a stimulus to the movement that, by transforming the economic, social, and ideological

relations of civilization, would usher in the modern world. 

Printing is a process for reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The

earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus

Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. Printing is also defined as, traditionally, a technique for

applying under pressure a certain quantity of coloring agent onto a specified surface to form a body of

text or an illustration. Certain modern processes for reproducing texts and illustrations, however, are no

longer dependent on the mechanical concept of pressure or even on the material concept of coloring

agent or printing ink.

Printing ink is consisting of a pigment or pigments of the required color mixed with oil or varnish.

Printing ink is one of the most important or the most important tool in printing because it is the one that

are being attached to the paper to convey a message by the help of the printer. The most common and

unsolved problem about printing inks is that it is very expensive.

“On the topic of ink and pricing, companies that manufacture industrial inkjet printers still inflate

the cost of their proprietary ink massively, probably because it's easy money when you consider that in
order to fulfill your end of a service contract, you must use their inks, their solvents, their cleaning

equipment” said by some of the consumers.

One of the main reasons is because the Engineering is complicated. Ink companies spend a lot of

time to get the right blend of pigment, dye, and vehicle to be able to have a very stable small droplet for

high-resolution printing. Companies like Epson, HP, Canon, they all had to do research in translating a

dye to a pigment composition to be able to get the photographic quality everybody wanted. That is why

printing inks cost too much money.

Since Alugbati (Basella alba) can be found anywhere in our country and are not commonly used

by some of us. We gather more information and details about Alugbati that can benefit all of us and we

found out that Alugbati (Basella alba) is also known as basella, Malabar spinach, Indian spinach or vine

spinach. It has dark green leaves similar to regular spinach but with green-purple stems.

It grows in a vining rather than bush pattern and has a slightly more fibrous texture than regular

spinach. It can be cooked in the same way and, like spinach, is a good source of a number of essential

nutrients, including iron, calcium and antioxidants. Depending on your preferences, you can also add it

to salads, smoothies, vegetable dishes, soups and other homemade meals. And one of the most

important findings is Alugbati, is known in the U. S as Malbar Spinach, is commonly known for its soft,

spinach-like leaves and shoots. Alugbati is an African and East Asian origin. The juice of the fruits was

reportedly used in ancient China as ink for official seals. Today, the fruits of the red-stemmed Alugbati

variety can be used to make ink.

By using those finding we can now solve the problems of printing ink with the help of Alugbati

fruit. We also found out that the stem of Alugbati have a potential to also produce an extract for the

making ink. And after gathering new information about Alugbati we decided to use the Alugbati (Basella

alba) fruit and stem as an alternative printer ink.

II. Objectives / Statement of the Problem:

There's no joy in shopping for printer ink. It's expensive to buy, little fun to use, and before you

know it—it's time to purchase it again.

Printer ink is expensive, more expensive per drop than fine champagne or even human blood. If

you haven’t gone paperless, you’ll notice that you’re paying a lot for new ink cartridges — more than

seems reasonable. Purchasing the cheapest inkjet printer and buying official ink cartridge replacements

is the most expensive thing you can do.

It's enough that printer ink might be the most expensive liquid you buy. Even the cheapest ink in

replacement cartilages—at about $13 an ounce—costs more than twice as much as Dom Pérignon

Champagne*, while the priciest—closer to $95 an ounce—makes gasoline seem like a bargain.

Consumer Reports' tests confirm that some printers use much more ink than others in those tasks

—and the added cost of using a less-efficient model can set you back more than $100 a year.

And that's a constant cause of frustration among printer owners. In CR's annual printers survey, the

expense of ink or toner replacement is the most common pain point for printer owners—affecting the

owners of 1 in 5 printers.

Scott Williams, a chemistry professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, says that early printer

inks were essentially a mix of food dye and water that would fade in just a few months. "Ink companies

spend a lot of time to get the right blend of pigment, dye, and vehicle to be able to have a very stable

small droplet for high-resolution printing," Williams says. All that research and development, of course,

costs a lot of money—and that's where the price comes in.

III. Significance of the Study:

This project has many beneficial effects on us especially for those who often used printers for

projects, work, and for their daily lives.

Since the Alugbati can be found everywhere in our country it will not be a problem for us and it

will also make us to cost less than buying printer ink or Alugbati for making ink.

It will also help us especially those people who always used printers for business, occupation,

and projects to save a huge amount of money. It will be more convenient for us because making this

project will not just help us saved money but will also entertain us, give us more knowledge about

Alugbati and will also improve our determination and patience.

The importance of this for our environment is, Alugbati will not be wasted anymore. No more toxic

ink will damage our surroundings especially the living things that lived there.
IV. Procedures / Materials Needed:
Using Alugbati fruit

Things You’ll Need

1. Fresh fruit of Alugbati

2. Mortar and Pestle
3. Strainer

Instructions

1. Pick the Alugbati fruits at full ripeness, when it is round, plump, and dark purple in color. You will
need about three cups of fruit to produce one cup of juice.
2. Crush the fruits and seed in mortar and pestle.
3. Strain the juice into a bowl. Discard the solid fruit and seed remains. Repeat until you’ve procured
one cup of juice.
4. Add the rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, salt, and iodine and stir.
5. Transfer to a bottle or jar and seal until use.

Tips & Warnings

Experiment with proportions of ingredients for different effects. Vinegar enhances the color and
acts as a preservative. Salt is also a preservative. Iodine keeps the color from fading, and rubbing
alcohol hastens drying time after use.