# pigment ink vs regular ink



## cinnamon457 (Nov 4, 2011)

i know pigment ink works best for printing picture heat transfers, but what is the difference between pigment ink and the regular ink that comes with inkjet printer wf 7510 or any printer...as far as the outcome.


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## diveuk (Aug 14, 2013)

Some printers have pigment inks, some have dye inks, both will work but in general "pigment inks" are more durable.
I believe the Epson WF series printers all use Pigment inks as standard but check the Epson website to be sure or someone more knowledgeable than me can confirm whether I am right or wrong.


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## olga1 (May 11, 2014)

You are right diveuk


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## Sublime_Vizion (Jul 30, 2010)

Via: Difference between standard dye-based ink and pigmented ink

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 weeks, although when protected from air and sunlight, these inks can last several years. However, new dyes developed originally by HP, Fuji, and Epson have improved the fade resistance of dye-based inks to be equivalent to the capability of most pigments.
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 several months before fading becomes noticeable, and when protected from air and sunlight, these inks can last for many years.
Special Pigmented inks are those which are rated as "Archival Quality" Archival quality pigmented inks use special pigments to improve the fade performance beyond that of normal pigmented inks. Fading becomes noticeable when exposed to direct sunlight in 6-12 months, and when protected from air and sunlight these inks will last for decades.
For extremely long archival conditions, the best thing to do is simply to enclose a CD with the document or photographs. That way, if there is any damage down the road, the customer can simply reprint the material.
Print Quality

It is possible to get more "color" into dyes than into pigments. Therefore, dye-based colors tend to be more vibrant than pigment-based colors. And pigmented black inks tend to be slightly lighter than dye-based inks.
Dye-based black inks tend to be better for text printing, whereas pigmented black inks often are designed more to blend in a graphics application.
Photography usage depends upon the overall printer design. For example, HP uses pigmented black inks for normal printing, but their special photo cartridges have an additional dye-based photo black. Epson 6-color printers often use dye-based inks, whereas their 4-ink systems often use pigmented inks.
"Special Pigmented" inks have color vibrancy similar to that of dye-based inks, but there is still a difference noticeable to the professional.


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## saintweljo (Apr 16, 2015)

dye ink give vibrant colors while pigment ink are dull colors.


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## pippin decals (Aug 26, 2015)

Here are 2 shirts i did with my Epson Wf 7610. They have been washed over 15 times now .


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## olga1 (May 11, 2014)

nice, what ink did you use, pigment or dye ?


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## pippin decals (Aug 26, 2015)

olga1 said:


> nice, what ink did you use, pigment or dye ?





Thanks. I use All Pigment inks .Now using re-fill carts in it which is a big money saver.


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## Saumya DNB (Jun 20, 2019)

Dye ink is like sugar dissolving in water because they use color substances that are dissolved in a liquid. Pigment-based ink is powdery and dry in form and hence appears like sand mixed in water.

So, the verdict is both are winners depending on their use cases means choose pigment if you want long-lasting, smudge-free prints on glossy paper and choose dye if the price is your concern, and your focus is on color quality.

Read full blog here:


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## TeedUp (Apr 22, 2020)

Saumya DNB said:


> Dye ink...


Oh, you're back with a completely different person profile pic, which is interesting when you are representing a company, and had profile bio's elsewhere in the web. Just another red flag to add to the bunch I noticed when investigating possible purchase of your product last year.


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