All inks are not the same. When it comes to printing, you’ll be faced with a choice of dye or pigment ink, and if you don’t know the difference between them, how are you going to make an informed choice? They behave differently on paper, have different chemical formulas, reproduce colour differently, and have different qualities such as fading or water resistance. Knowing which one will be most suitable for the work you want to produce will enable you to select the right printer.

Working with dyes
A dye is a water-based coloured liquid. This means that one of their key features is that they are not water resistant. They offer brilliant saturated colours but these can quickly fade in sunlight. Although you can increase their UV resistance by adding a UV protector to the ink, they are not really suitable for archival printing. However, because of the way dyes stain paper, by soaking into the fibres, it means you can use them to print on a wide range of papers, including glossy paper. Dye inks are much cheaper than pigment inks, but are only really suitable for everyday office printing and home printing.

Using pigment ink
Pigment inks comprise of two parts: the pigment particles, a powder, and a carrier liquid in which the particles are suspended. Each particle is comprised of tens of thousands of dye molecules bound together. The powder and the liquid must be evenly mixed so that the pigment is spread evenly over the surface of the substrate during printing. Once the carrier liquid, usually a solvent, has evaporated, the pigment particles are embedded onto the fibre of the paper in a stable bond, a property that makes them smear resistant. Pigment ink works particularly well on matte paper, but for use on glossy media, special binders must be added to the ink to ensure that the pigment penetrates it. This is because the surface of glossy paper is less porous than matte paper. The disadvantage of the need to use binders is that as they sit on the surface of the paper rather than within the structure of it, a bronzing effect can occur, particularly in areas of dark or black printing. For this reason, certain glossy papers have been designed for use in pigment ink printers. Another disadvantage is that pigment particles can clog the print heads if they are allowed to settle to the bottom of the cartridge.

Picking the right ink
Depending on what you’re printing, one or other of these inks will be right for the job. At entry level, home printers often use a combination of inks – an inexpensive black pigment ink and dye inks for all the other colours. However, commercial printers tend to favour pigment inks due to their water-resistant properties and longevity – they are the inks of choice for fine art, photography, outdoor graphics, and graphic arts printing. This means that the prints will last longer without fading, and without smearing.

For advice on what type of ink, and thus what printer, will be most suitable for your needs, call the SEDO print experts on 0845 646 0388.