Abstract: Disclosed is an organic solvent based ink composition which contains a specific dye and an organic solvent, especially an alcohol or a glycol and which has excellent stability with time and good writing properties. The organic solvent based ink composition comprises a dye and an organic solvent, wherein the dye is represented by ##STR1## wherein D represents a residue of an azo or anthraquinone dye which does not have a sulfone group and a carboxyl group, X represents an oxygen atom or a methylene group, Y represents a C.sub.2 -C.sub.12 alkyl group, a C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 hydroxyalkyl group, a C.sub.2 -C.sub.12 alkoxyalkyl group, a polybutyral residue, a polyvinyl alcohol residue, a phenol resin residue, or a cellulose residue and m shows 0 or 1.

Abstract: An overprint aqueous varnish has improved properties by having incorporated therein a small amount of an aqueous mixture of a finely divided hydrocarbon and certain high molecular weight oxyalkylated primary alcohols.