Large Format Printers and Pigment vs. Dye Based Ink.
Which One’s Better?
Pigment vs. Dye Based Ink: Definitions
Dye inks are usually liquid in form. In addition, inside ink cartridges, they’re almost always mixed in with water, 95 percent water.
Pigments are not liquid. They are actually solid. A pigment is powdery and dry in form a collection of extremely small solid particles that are mixed in with water inside the pigment based ink cartridges.
Pigment vs. Dye Based Ink: Why Pigment Is Better
Pigment particles sit on the paper and bond with the fibres while dyes get absorbed into the fibre.
This means that pigment particles are thicker on the paper than dyes. For example, since pigment particles don’t get absorbed and only sit on the paper in layers, they are resistant to external influences such as environmental gases and ultraviolet rays from the sun.
These properties also give pigment ink cartridges a boost when it comes to pigment vs. dye-based ink cartridges in terms of stability of colour. Large format prints made with pigment-based ink cartridges tend to retain their original colour much more than large format prints made with dye-based ink cartridges.
Also the physical properties of the two substances make a difference in how they interact with water too.
From the angle of resistance to water, the debate of pigment vs. dye based ink cartridges is won by pigments because dyes have a tendency to flow when they come in contact with water while pigments are more resistant.
When your priority is the longevity of the large format print, stability of the colour in the large format print, and resistance to natural elements, the winner is pigment.
Pigment based ink cartridges have two main uses. The first is external use. Pigment-based ink cartridges are used for external signage and hoardings because they’re more resistant to ultraviolet rays than dye-based ink cartridges.
The other major use of pigment based ink cartridges is for archival purposes. Since large format prints made with pigment based ink cartridges remain stable for an extended period of time, they’re preferred in situations where the large format print is required to stay consistent for a long time.
Pigment vs. Dye-Based Ink: Why Dyes Are Better
Dye based ink cartridges provide better colour quality in large format prints. For instance, dye-based ink cartridges provide more saturation of colours, greater brightness, higher colour range, and even improved the density of black.
Also consider dye-based ink cartridge large format prints are free from Metamerism. This means there is a slight change in the large format print colour on the basis of light changes. This means that a large format print may look fine in artificial light but look like it has a green tinge in sunlight.
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