Kerley Ink History in Photos | Copyright Kerley Ink

Inside the Color Plant...

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 13:57:57 -0600

Drums....buckets....tubs....everywhere! A photo of a typical scene at our color plant. Mixers, drums, buckets, tubs scattered everywhere. but at least we keep the floor clean!

We can do it!

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:21:44 -0500

We have a "can do" spirit at Kerley Ink. No job is too big for us. Witness this 23,000 liter ISO-Tank being filled with black ink for newspapers. Most of our export clients are using ISOTanks now. We can deliver this to your factory door anywhere on earth.

3 Generations

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 14:20:06 -0500

Summer of 2006. 3 generations of Kerley Ink reporting to work. On the left, President John J. Whalen. Center, his grandson John N. Whalen. On the right, Vice president and son, John R. Whalen. Yes, don't call us and ask for "John". Confusion will follow - guaranteed.

Our Clients Include...

Wed, 09 Nov 2005 16:37:38 -0600

Some very large ones like this 1.25 million square-foot printing plant near Buffalo, New York, USA. This particular client has been purchasing product from Kerley Ink since 1948, when they were known as the "J. W. Clement Company". Clement built this plant in 1962 to print Time Magazine. In the 1960's, Clement was purchased by Weyerhaeuser and became part of Arcata Graphics. Subsequently, the plant was purchased by Quebecor. Note the 4 railroad sidings feeding into the buildings. Kerley Ink delivers tankerloads of ink to the Buffalo Plant, which is used to print about 500 million books annually. Yes, Kerley Ink has the capacity to supply possibly the worlds largest printing plant, and do so flawlessly since 1962!

Ray Kerley & Family

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 15:50:49 -0500

Ray Kerley and his wife, Ethel, & daughters Patricia & Betty. Circa 1933. By this time, Ray had a very busy career in the graphic arts, having founded the "Lake States Printing Ink Co." in Wisconsin.

Color Plant & Offices

Tue, 23 Mar 1999 16:04:52 -0600

Pictured here is the location at 2020 West Parkes Drive in Broadview. Kerley Ink expanded into its first "Color Plant" in 1984. It would have been impossible to make the delicate shades of color we currently supply to our clients from within a plant that processed huge amounts of carbon black. The Color Plant has been configured to make color inks, color bases, extenders, compounds, and coatings. Kerley also maintains its corporate offices here. Broadview is situated about 9 miles (15 km) west of downtown Chicago. Capacity of the newly expanded Parkes Drive facility is about 10 million pounds (4,8 million kgs.)

Every Morning - Tanker Dropoffs

Tue, 11 Mar 1997 13:40:36 -0600

Part of Kerley Ink's "secret" to being able to produce good quality inks at reduced prices is the fact that we buy in volume. Most raw materials are brought in via truckload or tankerload, helping to assure lowest cost possible. Every morning, a new tanker comes to deliver oil or solvent into Kerley's 50,000 gal (200,000 L) underground tank farm. Kerley Ink uses large quantities of lube oil, soy oil and narrow-cut hydrotreated petroleum distillates.

Original Van Buren St. Plant - Chicago

Tue, 11 Mar 1997 11:57:00 -0600

Site of original Kerley Ink Plant from 1947 to 1967. Located directly west of downtown Chicago on the Eisenhower Expressway, 1250 West Van Buren, the building still stands today. During this time, Kerley Ink was located near the heart of Chicago's "Printer's Row", which was within walking distance of the Van Buren Street plant and the world-famous "Loop" that encircles downtown Chicago. In this period, Chicago was the undisputed printing capital of the world. Eventually, the cost of doing business and the impossibility of expansion in the neighborhood sent Kerley ink out to the suburbs. The building is now home to "luxury condominums". Imagine!

Mixers at 12th Ave Plant

Tue, 11 Mar 1997 11:13:22 -0600

A partial view of the mixing room at the 12th Ave plant reveals considerably larger mixers (on right) capable of making 3000 lb. (1350 kg) batches of black ink. Mixers are large enough to need at least 1000 lb (450 kg) minimum batch size to cover the mixer's impeller blade with adequate raw materials. More than 300,000 lbs. (135,000 kg) of dry carbon black pigment is stored in skids of bags on left. At peak capacity, the mixers in this room can produce over 20,000 lbs. (8500 kgs.) per hour.

Raymond Ambrose Kerley 1893-1956

Tue, 11 Mar 1997 10:49:00 -0600

Founder of Kerley Ink.

Born in Schenectady, New York in October of 1893, Ray moved to Chicago shortly after the turn of the century and started his career as a "printer's devil" at the shop of Regensteiner Press. By the 1920's, Ray moved to Milwaukee and became manager at Cuneo Press. Ray started his family there, but moved back to Chicago in the late 1930's. Ten years later, he founded Kerley Ink-then known as "R. A. Kerley Ink Engineers, Inc." in 1947.

Mixing Room in 1955

Mon, 10 Mar 1997 17:03:44 -0600

Back in the old days, mixing was done in small batches. When this photo was taken in 1955, our largest batches were only about 500 pounds. (225kg) Currently, batches of ink can easily exceed 2000 lbs. (1 M/T). Also, notice that the bags on the back wall, which all contained dry pigment. The majority of inkmaking was done using dry pigments back then, not with predispersions and "flushes" as used with modern inkmaking techniques. Back then, it actually took more knowledge to be a good inkmaker than it does now, as most ink manufacturers worked with very basic raw materials instead of "pre-fab" ingredients.

"Mill Row" 1955

Mon, 10 Mar 1997 16:48:20 -0600

In the days when all batches were finished by roller milling. Taken in 1955 at the original Van Buren Street factory location, 18 year-old Billy Cabell tends to a batch of letterpress blue ink. Back then, batches rarely went over 500 pounds. (225 kg.) Currently, batches of ink can easily exceed 2000 lbs. (1 M/T). Billy Cabell went on to be Kerley ink's production manager, and had a career with Kerley Ink spanning more than 50 years.

View of 12th Ave Plant - Broadview

Fri, 28 Feb 1997 09:59:20 -0600

Kerley Ink moved to its present location at the 12th Ave plant in Broadview in 1967 from the old location on the West Side of Chicago on Van Buren Street. Since then, the 12th Ave plant has been configured to make mainly black inks, black bases and some varnishes. Broadview is situated about 9 miles (15 km) west of downtown Chicago. Production capacity at this plant exceeds 10 million lbs (4,5 million kg) annually. Peak electrical consumption at this location can top 500,000 watts.

Tom Sharp -Technical Director

Mon, 04 Nov 1996 15:28:06 -0600

Tom Sharp, for those who remember, was our technical director from 1987 to 1994. Tom is remembered by all of us at Kerley Ink for being an honest, knowledgeable man. Rest in peace, Tom.

Pigment to Ink

Fri, 01 Nov 1996 12:07:13 -0600

3 Stages of an Ink.

Shown at the rear of this photo, carbon black pigment is the colorant used in almost all black inks today. Currently used mainly for reinforcement of rubber tires, industrially produced carbon black was first invented to pigment newspaper inks in the 18th century. Back then, various "fuels" were burned to produce carbon black pigment: bones, tar, old rags - just about anything that burned with a sooty flame. Nowadays, the main feedstock is carbon-rich "still bottoms", the tarry black substance left over from the refinement of crude oil into motor fuels. Carbon black is a fine, dusty powder available in a surprising variety of industrial grades. In the middle of the photo, the carbon black has been mixed with a "dispersing vehicle", which is a liquid varnish to consequently form a dust-free, wet "base". Base is a very concentrated form of pre-dispersed pigment, containing about 40% pigment by total weight. At the front, the finished printing ink is shown lying in a flat, shiny puddle. Printing ink is made from base and a reducing varnish, often called a "vehicle". Final pigment concentration is about 15-20%. With almost a full century of inkmaking experience across three generations, Kerley ink is expert at all three phases of turning pigment into ready-to-use printing ink.