Ink ball

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An ink ball, also called an inking ball, is a tool used in printmaking and letterpress printing to apply ink to the plate or type. They have been used since the 15th century. In printmaking, ink balls are used alone to spread ink smoothly. In letterpress printing, two ink balls are used together: ink is placed on one ball, then the two balls are rubbed together until the ink is spread evenly and has the right thickness. The inker then beat the type to transfer the ink, making sure there isn’t too much or too little. An ink ball is made from specially treated sheep skin stuffed with wool and has a wooden handle called a stock. In the early 1800s, a new mix of glue, molasses, and tar was used to make some ink balls. By the mid to late 1800s, ink balls were mostly replaced by composition rollers and rubber rollers (brayers). Replacing the labor-heavy ink balls with rollers helped push the growth of mechanized printing machines in the 19th century.