Dyes and pigments are the two major types of colorants used in inkjet printing inks. Although dyes and pigments differ in terms of their properties and performance, but both types of inkjet ink colorants have played key roles in the digital transformation of the printing industry.

The main difference between dyes and pigments is how they behave in the fluid that carries the colorant to the surface of the print. Dyes and pigments also behave differently on the surface being printed.

Dyes are organic molecules that absorb specific wavelengths of light. They dissolve completely in water and soak into the surface of the paper and porous materials such as textiles and packaging cardboards.

Dye inks were developed for the first generation of 4-color inkjet printers that used thermal printheads to output text and line drawings on sheets or rolls of paper. Printing dye inks on paper wasn’t a big problem with line drawings, because the density of inks on the paper wasn’t enough to soak into the paper fibers and cause ripples in over-saturated areas of the print. And, most printed drawings weren’t continuously exposed to sunlight or the weather.

When early adopters of four-color wide-format inkjet printers tried using dye inks to print photos, art, and graphics, they quickly discovered the limitations of water-based dye inks. The high ink densities graphics, art, and photos caused smearing and/or unsightly surface ripples on uncoated papers. Displayed under bright indoor lights or sunlight, dye-ink prints faded quickly unless they were laminated with a protective film.

These issues limited the potential for growth of wide-format graphics and sparked the development of aqueous pigment inks and piezo inkjet printheads.

Pigments are tiny insoluble particles of colored minerals, metals, or synthetic materials that are supplied as powders. Instead of dissolving in water like dyes, the pigment particles remain suspended in the fluid.

When the water carrying the pigments evaporates from the printed substrate, the opaque, fade-resistant, water-resistant pigment particles remain on the print surface.

Ongoing Improvements in Inkjet Inks

Chemists are continuously researching ways to expand the benefits and minimize the limitations of dyes and pigments. In general, here are some of the strengths and weaknesses of dye and pigments.

• Dyes are translucent and well-suited for printing on porous materials such as paper or textiles.
• Dyes produce bright, vivid colors on light backgrounds.
• Dyes are less likely to clog printheads than pigment particles.
• Dyes are likely to fade when exposed to light for a prolonged time period.
• Dye inks smear or run when exposed to water.

• Pigments are opaque and can be applied to hundreds of porous and non-porous materials.
• Pigments can produce vibrant colors on dark substrates.
• Pigments are more resistant to water, chemical exposure, and fading.
• Pigments can not only be dispersed in water, but also in other solvents used to formulate inkjet inks.
• Pigment inks can clog printheads in infrequently used printers without ink-circulation systems.

Over the past 20 years, researchers have made tremendous progress in developing ink additives, paper treatments, and surface coatings that enable print-service providers to produce better quality prints with higher-resolutions and faster throughput speeds.

Some of the newest ink-receptive coatings are compatible with both aqueous dye and pigment inks, as well as latex inks.

How Different Ink Types Are Used

Dye inks continue to be used in at-home desktop printers. Specialized dye inks have been developed to print on textiles and paper-based packaging materials.

Today, pigment inks are used in almost all of the newer aqueous wide-format inkjet printers for small businesses, architecture and engineering firms, marketing agencies, retail stores, schools, and copy shops.
Freedom Paper Sells Materials Compatible with Both

Freedom Paper Sells Materials Compatible with Both Dye and Pigment Inks

In 2002, Freedom Paper focused on selling wide-format rolls of coated and uncoated bond papers for computer-generated architectural, construction, and engineering drawings. Many of these papers were designed primarily for aqueous dye inks. But as wide-format printing inks, printheads, and inkjet-printable materials have evolved so have we.

In addition to offering materials compatible aqueous dye and pigment inks, we are expanding the range of materials we sell for printers that use latex, eco-solvent, and UV-curable inks.

Visit our website often to see our growing variety of inkjet-printable materials, including graphic films, vinyl, polypropylene, photo papers, fine-art papers, banner fabrics, and adhesive-backed materials. This blog will also keep you up-to-date on some of the newest products on the website.

To learn more, visit www.freedompaper.com