The difference between pigment ink and dye ink

The difference between pigment ink and dye ink

Ink can be divided into many different types according to different methods, and can be divided into pigment ink and dye ink according to the different raw materials used.

Pigment ink : It is an outdoor inkjet printing ink. The pigments used are the same as the pigments of our printing and dyeing clothes. The solid pigments are ground into several small particles, which are dissolved in a special water-based solvent (containing a lot of Alcohol component), is a kind of colloid-like suspension solution or semi-solution. Because the color is represented by solid particles, the pigment itself is waterproof. As long as the material is also waterproof, the problem of waterproofing can be solved. Secondly, molecules larger than dyes are not easily decomposed under ultraviolet radiation, even if the molecules in the outer layer of the particles are decomposed, The inner layer will maintain the same color. Generally, it will remain outdoors for more than a year without obvious fading (under the theoretical state without film); but its disadvantage is that the color performance is not good due to poor permeability, which is different from the indoor ink. It is darker and grayer (the six-color inkjet technology used now overcomes this problem to a certain extent); it also makes the consumable requirements different from indoor ink; because it is a solid particle, it is easier to block the nozzle (now more and more due to particle grinding finer, this is not a problem).

Dye-based ink: It is a kind of indoor photo ink, which is completely dissolved at the molecular level. The ink is a complete composite solution, which is difficult to block the print head; it is easy to absorb materials after printing, and the color is bright; but not waterproof, and because the dye molecules are quickly decomposed under ultraviolet light, the color will fade significantly within one month of outdoor use.