The present invention relates to an aqueous ink comprising at least water, and a colorant of Formula 1 ##STR00001## wherein A is any substituted or unsubstituted aromatic or heteroaromatic moiety; R is hydrogen or any non-metallic group; R1 is hydrogen, or any substituted or unsubstituted aryl, alkenyl, alkynyl or alkyl group; R2 and R3 are hydrogen or any non-metallic group, and R2 and R3 can be joined to form a ring that may be aromatic, aliphatic or heterocyclic and may be further substituted; or a colorant of Formula 2: ##STR00002## wherein R4 is hydrogen or any non-metallic group; n is an integer of 0-4; and, if n is 2-4, the R4 groups may be the same or different from each other, and a printing method for creating an image on an ink compatible substrate using colorants of Formula 1 or Formula 2.