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On the Use of Tints.

It may not be out of place to follow up the short article in Typo of February on the use of bronze-powders, with a few words on the subject of tints—their method of use, and their harmonies. By the term « tint » we understand a considerable surface of color applied to the paper as a groundwork to the whole or portion of the job, to bring out some prominent feature in the design.

Tints may be divided into two classes: (1) warm, such as salmon, orange, or reddish purple; (2) cool, such as drab, gray, &c. Where a considerable portion of the job is to be tinted, and bright colors are to be used for the lettering, it is always safest to use a tint in which the primary colors do not appear. For instance, drab, gray, or slate produce a very good effect when used with almost any shade of red or green; but should the lettering be of black, blue, or any cold dark color, the tints should be warm—say, orange, pink, or lavender.

To obtain the greatest advantage from the use of any tint, its margin or edge must be clearly defined by a positive color, and where two tints meet, they should be divided by a darker line, which gives a finish to the job.

The tints most generally used, and which give a pleasing appearance to the work are: drab, blue, brown, lilac, pink, lemon and green; but with a little study, an endless number of tints and shades can be produced. In working more than one tint in a job, care must be taken that the colors are in harmony, and that they are not too strong. The following, in pairs or triplets, produce a good effect: blue and pink; pink and green; sage-green and brownish-yellow, or buff; buff and greenish-blue; buff and lavender; pink, sky-blue and pea-green (this is a combination that looks well, but requires careful working); buff and light-blue; buff, pink, and sky-blue; &c. These colors are for tints only; not for lettering. The choice of tints should be regulated by the positive colors used in the job; and some practice is required before the appearance of the finished work can be judged before the whole of the colors are brought together. One way by which some idea may be gained beforehand is to obtain sheets of paper of the primary colors, cut them into strips of suitable length and width; take a full sheet of tinted paper, and place the primaries on it, one or two at a time, and repeat the experiment with various tints. By this means, or by the use of water-colors, the compositor or machinist can obtain a very good idea of the effect to be produced.

Tint-work is at present so very little used in typography in these colonies, that few offices keep a stock of tint-inks on hand; but with the assistance of flake-white, or even of ordinary varnish, and the colored inks to be found in every well-furnished office, excellent tints can be produced. In working tints, it is only necessary to keep enough color on the rollers to give a solid impression. If too much is used, the colors of the next impression will be rough and ragged.

Green is one of the most serviceable of tints. It is a secondary color, a combination of blue and yellow, and tints may be prepared either by diluting a green ink or combining blues and yellows in various proportions. By the latter method an endless variety of tints may be produced, from brilliant emerald to those uncertain but beautiful shades which are neither blue nor green.

Drab is a cold tint, and is generally used for shadows. White, with a very little black, and perhaps a minute quantity of blue, will produce this color.

Blue is a useful tint, and may be diluted with white to any extent required. With the addition of a little yellow, the peculiar tint known as « peacock blue » may be obtained.

Browns may be made from brown inks, or in a great variety of ways by combinations of red and black with yellow or orange.

Lilac, Lavender, and Violet may be made by mixing red, blue, and white in various proportions.

Pink is produced by mixing white and roseine; for a permanent color use carmine.

The unlimited variety of tints and shades to be produced by combinations of colors in various proportions is illustrated in the case of dress-fabrics, and many of the choicest fashionable tints could be imitated by the art-printer, who would find it to his advantage to experiment in that direction. All tints dry lighter than they appear when freshly-printed, and should therefore be worked slightly darker than they are intended to be. Wherever possible they should be tested in juxtaposition with the colors used in the text of the job.