The work aims to research the production process conditions of ink regarding the horizontal closed sand mill used to produce ink, so as to produce the water-based gravure ink of good quality. The effects of pre-dispersion process conditions on the ink dispersion were investigated to determine the revolving speed and dispersion time of the high-speed impeller dispersing machine; the effects of binder ratio, feeding speed and grinding times of base ink on the ink quality were studied to determine the grinding conditions of ink. The adding process of drying agent for improving the drying speed of water-based ink was discussed. The results showed that the water-based gravure ink had a good performance when the pre-dispersion speed was 1500 r/min, the dispersion time was 30 min, the binder ratio was 1∶1.25, the working pressure of diaphragm pump for controlling feeding speed was 0.2 MPa and the ink was ground for four times. The drying agent should be first pre-dispersed in polyacrylic emulsion and then ground into emulsion for 60 min at the speed of 1000 r/min. With the emulsion above added to the ink, it would not affect other performances of the ink while improving its drying speed. The water-based gravure ink produced with the above-mentioned process conditions has good dispersion and printability and excellent printing quality.