Marking the surgical margins of specimens: commercial acrylic pigments are reliable, rapid and safe.

Aim: To find a medium to mark the surgical margins and orientation of complex specimens that is reliable, easy to use, safe and inexpensive.

Methods: Several different paints, dyes and pigments were tested. A series of pigments supplied by SICPA Australia Pty Ltd, when fixed to the specimen in acetic formalin, was used on over 7000 complex specimens.