Water-based ink does not contain volatile organic solvents, will not harm the health of ink manufacturers and printing operators, reduce the toxicity of the print surface residue, but also make the printing equipment easy to clean, but also to reduce the risk of fire caused by static electricity and flammable solvents. Can be said to be safe and environmentally friendly packaging and printing supplies. Pigment ink and dye ink is the most common water-based ink used in digital printing.
So how to choose? Today we briefly analyze the difference between the two from the chemical composition, physical state, application range and even performance performance. After reading I believe you will know how to choose ink.
Physical state
First of all, from the physical state, dye ink is a fully dissolved solution, the dye molecules are completely dissolved in the solvent, forming a clear and transparent liquid, the molecules have a very small diameter of about 1 to 2 nanometers, this kind of ink is usually water-based ink.
Pigment ink, on the other hand, consists of solid pigments ground into micron- or nanometer-sized particles, which are then uniformly suspended in a liquid carrier. Even after fine grinding, these pigment particles retain their solid state properties.
The principle of handwriting formation
In terms of handwriting formation principles, dye inks achieve writing or printing effects by penetrating the paper fibers and dyeing them, while pigment inks rely on the attachment of pigment particles to the paper surface to render text or images without having to penetrate deep into the fibers.
Waterproofing
Dye ink is not waterproof due to its water-soluble nature, and once it comes into contact with water, the handwriting will be easily blurred or even disappear.
Pigment ink is different, its pigment particles do not dissolve in water and will not disperse immediately even when exposed to water. Unless it is rubbed by a strong external force, it provides better waterproof performance.
Weather and light resistance
Dye inks have been shown to decompose quickly under UV exposure due to the dye molecules, resulting in noticeable color fading within a month of outdoor UV use.
Pigment inks have superior weather and light resistance, making them ideal for long-term displays, even in harsh environments, where the lettering remains clear and sharp and the colors of the image are as good as new.
Scope of Application
Dye inks are suitable for everyday writing and applications that require colorful printing, such as office documents, promotional materials or personal creative projects. The category of personal office use is predominant, but of course in the category of commercial use, there are also
Pigment inks are more suitable for important documents that need to be preserved for a long time, artworks or any prints that require high durability and resistance to fading due to their waterproof and sunscreen properties. Prints have to take into account complex factors such as scratching, water gradation and sun exposure, then high quality pigment inks are essential. Nowadays, in the field of packaging printing digital printing, Water based polymer carbon pigment inkhas been widely used in color carton printing, color box gift box printing, product outer packaging printing and so on. Waterproof, sunscreen, scratch-resistant, color expression can reach very high requirements.
Cost price
After understanding the above characteristics, you will know that pigment ink will be more expensive than dye ink. Because of the comprehensive performance, it has waterproof, sunscreen, scratch-resistant, solid color and other characteristics, these are dye ink can not do.
In short, pigment ink and dye ink have their own merits, but as mentioned above, when it comes to application scenarios, the comprehensive consideration of the cost, you will know how to buy ink. Which one you choose depends on the specific application needs, the color requirements, and the performance you expect from the ink.
