Dye vs. Pigment: What to Know About These Ink Colorants
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Dye ink colorants absorb more readily into a sheet compared to pigment-based colorants.
- Pigment-based colorants provide a greater level of resistance to fading, smudging, and even water damage.
- The right type of ink colorant for digital inkjet print depends heavily on the application itself.
Compared to considerations like media type or finishing techniques, ink is often a less discussed element of digital inkjet print. But so much of a project’s success depends on ink, specifically the type of colorant used in the ink application process.
The two main types of colorants used in digital inkjet — dye and pigment — produce very different results in terms of how ink is absorbed into a given sheet, which in turn affects how colors and images are produced. This makes understanding the difference between dye and pigment colorants essential in helping to ensure the best possible marriage of ink and substrate.
Here, we’ll break down the differences between dye and pigment colorants to help streamline communication and collaboration with your print partner — and help you unlock the highest quality digital inkjet print possible.
What should designers know about dye-based inks for digital inkjet?
Dye inks contain color molecules that are fully dissolved into the liquid carrier. This helps produce vibrant, heavily saturated colors that more readily absorb into substrates like glossy photo papers or coated substrates.
“Generally, dye inks will be absorbed more deeply into paper, making the results more scratch resistant than pigment inks,” write Elizabeth Gooding and Mary Schilling, authors of The Designer’s Guide to Inkjet, 3rd Edition.
Some other key characteristics of dye inks include:
- More vibrant color production
A wide color gamut, offering richer hues and smoother gradients, particularly on glossy or coated media - A reduced resistance to water, smudging, or UV light, which makes dye inks more prone to fading
- Accelerated drying times, making them ideal for inkjet projects that require a rapid turnaround time
While dye inks provide more brilliant color quality in more expansive range of colors, they do lack the durability and longevity of pigment inks, which is key when weighing the anticipated service life of your digital inkjet project — projects with a shorter service life may be better suited for dye inks, while pieces that demand a longer service life may suffer from using dye inkjet inks.
What should designers know about pigment-based inks for digital inkjet?
Pigment inkjet colorants use microscopic particles suspended in the liquid carrier. This produces ink that sits on the top of a sheet’s surface without the level of absorption seen with dye colorants.
“This results in a color that is more visible, but the color is less scratch resistant than dye," write Gooding and Schilling.
Other features of pigment inkjet colorants include:
- Colors that are less vivid compared to dye colorants but with deeper blacks and better opacity for greater color contrast
- A higher resistance to UV light, water damage, and smudging, which makes pigment inks ideal for print applications like wayfinding signage, outdoor signage, and other long-term types of print
- The ability to adhere to a wider range of surfaces compared to dye inks for enhanced versatility and flexibility
“The colorants in pigment-based inks tend to sit higher on top of the paper and are more lightfast,” explain Gooding and Schilling. “Recent advances in high-density aqueous pigment inks allow an even higher volume of ink to be used on the page to really boost color results.”
What are other key elements designers should consider with dye vs. pigment-based inks for digital inkjet?
Understanding the differences between dye and pigment=based inks is important and helpful, but understanding how dye vs. pigment can influence other print considerations is just as useful — this is especially important in areas of print where designers have the ability to specify certain print media or print techniques. Here are a couple of examples of how dye vs. pigment inks factor into additional design or print choices.
Choice of print provider
Odds are most designers in more inkjet situations won’t have the ability to specify one type of ink over the other. However, if dye vs. pigment-based inks is mission-critical, you’ll want to select a print provider that prints on equipment that is better suited for your ink of choice. This is where communicating with a printer about their fleet of presses or press availability is crucial in guiding you toward the right inkjet printer for your needs.
Choice of paper type
Dye-based inks more readily absorb into a sheet while pigment inks offer less absorption. This difference in ink absorption is a major factor in the choice of paper for your inkjet project.
Uncoated papers do not have any surface treatment, which allows for more absorption of colorant into the fiber during the printing process. The more ink that is able penetrate the paper, the less crisp and sharp the colors will be, and this will also decrease the color reflection.
Inkjet treated papers are specifically formulated for more aqueous inks, and the surface treatment of inkjet treated sheets makes it easier for the colorant to separate from the carrier liquid. This means the porosity of inkjet treated paper is much lower.
Inkjet coated paper features a unique coating that allows ink to dry extremely quickly, much more so than inkjet treated, and certainly much faster than uncoated sheets. This fast drying surface limits the amount of ink that can be absorbed into the fibers.
As we’ve seen in other elements of digital inkjet, the combination of paper, ink, and press is key to success.
Choice of color usage based on press capabilities
Different types of digital inkjet presses have different strengths and capabilities when it comes to ink application and the ideal level of ink coverage. Because dye and pigment-based inks are formulated differently, one may be more applicable than the other for specific types of inkjet presses based on the amount of ink coverage or saturation your design calls for. This can also impact your design, particularly if your project uses large swatches of color.
