No birds and bees here, no octopus either. The ink that we use today bears little resemblance to octopus ink, or melanin. In this century ink has become much more sophisticated and synthetic.
Printer ink contains pigments or dyes added to a base usually made from petroleum oil, de-ionized water and glycol, a thick syrupy substance that helps the ink to stick together and mix.
Toner, the powder used in laser printer and copier cartridges, is a manufacturer specific combination of special polymers and pigment, compounded into a fine powder, improving resolution.
The exact mixtures vary by the manufacturer, and are considered quite proprietary, however all
ink cartridges come from the basis of a 1930
Ink jet cartridge patent, that we found very interesting.