What is the difference between a dye and pigment based ink?
Both types of ink are water based. The difference is in the type of colorant used. A dye based ink uses a colorant that fully dissolves and so the ink is a true solution and contains no solid particles. A pigment ink uses a colorant that is a very fine powder and is dispersed throughout the ink. In terms of performance, a dye based ink will generally provide brighter and more vivid colors, but is less fade resistant than a pigment based ink. However, recent advances in colorant technology have made the gap much closer. The latest pigment based inks, such as Lyson Cave Paint R24, produce excellent color and are nearly as vivid as dyes, and dye based inks, such Lyson Fotonic, are greatly improved in fade resistance. A general misconception around inkjet inks is that pigment inks tend to block up printers more than dye based inks. This is not true as the particle sizes used in modern pigment inks are incredibly small and hundreds of times less than the size of an inkjet printer’s jets. Th
