What is the difference between standard dye-based ink and pigmented ink?
Water Resistance
The dye in the dye-based ink dissolves in water like sugar does in water -- completely.
Pigment does not dissolve completely. It is more like a flour and water mixture.
Because of this, dye-based inks flow better and have been the standard in inkjet
printers. But the dye will re-dissolve and the ink will
flow across the paper if drops of water hit the paper.
Pigmented ink particles tend to settle into the tiny fibers that make up
the paper. As the ink drys, the pigment particles get stuck in the fibers. Thus, the
pigmented inks are more water resistent than the dye-based inks. Only about
5 to 10 percent of the ink will re-flow if the paper is hit by water.
Fade Resistance
The molecules in dye-based inks are spread out. You might think of
dye-based ink on paper as similar to a beach covered with sand. Because of
this, dye-based ink tends to fade quicker, since all of the molecules are
exposed to the chemical and sunlight-caused reactions that fade the ink. You
may notice fading of dye-based inks exposed to direct sunlight commonly in
6 to 12 months.
Pigment particles are similar to large pebbles on a beach. It is much more
difficult for sunlight and chemicals to react with all of the pigment molecules,
since most of them are hidden inside the "pebbles". Pigmented inks will usually
last for many years before fading becomes noticeable.
Print Quality
It is possible to get more "color" into pigments than into dyes. Therefore,
pigmented colors tend to be more vibrant than dye-based colors. And pigmented
black inks tend to be slightly darker than dye-based inks.
Price
You can't get something for nothing. Pigmented inks cost more to make
than dye-based inks, so they cost more. Check our pricing for details.
Usability
Canon BC-23, BCI-3BK, BCI-3EBK, BCI-5BK, and BCI-6BK cartridges use pigmented ink. All other Canon cartridges
use dye-based ink.
Compaq Black cartridges all use pigmented black ink.
HP Black cartridges 51629, C6614, C6615, and 51645 can be filled with either dye-based
or pigmented ink.
HP Black cartridge 51626A and most other HP Black cartridges are only available
with dye-based inks.
Epson cartridges only have a single ink available. The WJ-190 ink used
in most newer Epson cartridges is a pigmented black ink which is priced
as a standard dye-based ink.
Lexmark cartridges of the xxxx620 part numbers use a dye-based ink. Lexmark
cartridges of the 12A1970 part number or the xxxx400 part numbers use a
pigmented ink.