Understanding Dye Based Ink

Dye based ink is mainly used in digital printers because it is easier and cheaper to manufacture than pigment based ink. Dye based ink is water soluble, and produces images which are much more vibrant than what you would get from a pigment based ink.

One of the main drawbacks of dye based ink is fading. An image printed using dye based ink is much more likely to fade in the sun faster than a pigment ink based image. Dye based ink always takes longer to dry, this means if you remove the paper from the printer too quickly, you could end up with inky fingers and a smeared image! Even once dye based ink has fully dried on to the paper, if it comes in contact with water, it can still smear and blur.

If you have a colour inkjet printer, it’s very likely it will use dye based ink cartridges. Pigment based ink is really only used for black and white printing. Your inkjet printer may use pigment based ink in the black cartridge.

To decide which type of ink is most suited to your needs, you will need to access the type you printing you mostly do. If bright, vibrant colours are a priority, you should go for the dye based option. If longevity is most important, go with the pigment based ink cartridges.