A variety of ink used in letterset printing (also called dry offset), in which ink is transferred from a relief (letterpress) printing plate to an offset blanket and then to the substrate. The use of the letterpress plate allows the printing process to operate in the absence of water. The lack of water allows an unlimited variety of pigments to be utilized in the ink formulation, as excessive emulsification by the fountain solution is no longer an issue. Letterset inks possess greater strength than do conventional letterpress inks, but possess less strength than conventional offset inks, as letterset inks are not diluted by a fountain solution. (See also Waterless Ink.)
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