Pigmented and Colorful Inks in digital printing

An increasing number of businesses in the graphics industry use pigment inks in their digital printing services. Due to their great resistance to humidity and light, this type of ink has become one of the best materials for creating attractive and long-lasting posters.

When customizing the aesthetics of the home or office, posters have stood out as one of the most popular decorative elements on the market. However, before requesting a digital printing service, it is essential to know the type of ink you need.

What are pigment inks?

Pigment inks are a raw material used for printing posters or decorative sheets. In technical terms, this type of ink has pigments contained in a synthetic resin that is suspended in a base liquid.

Among the main characteristics is its resistance to light, gases and humidity. Thanks to the size, complexity and composition, they guarantee greater durability of the print, compared to other solvent inks.

The suspended particles of the pigment ink bind with greater adhesion to the surface of the poster, resulting in high-quality digital prints, with a long life and incredible resistance to fading.

It is important to note that the use of these inks increases the manufacturing cost, which is why they are usually used only in fine art prints and in art galleries.

At the Pasquín store we use Canon Lucia pro pigment inks, the factory guarantees a long useful life, up to 200 years when stored in a light-proof container.

What is the difference between pigment inks and dye inks?

Ink jet is a digital printing technique that can be used using two types of inks: colored inks (Dye) and pigmented inks. Although dye inks offer results with vivid and saturated colors, it is a material that is sensitive to light, as well as ozone and humidity .

In this sense, coloring inks negatively affect durability and light resistance and are recommended exclusively for indoor use, in places with little exposure to light.

Another of the most important differences between pigmented and dye inks is the sales price. Dye inks are much cheaper, so they are usually used for office work, while Pigment-based inks are more expensive. 

Pigmented or colorful inks, which one to use?

Both inks are solvent-free and which one you will use will depend on your need for decoration.

Example:

• Indoor places with little exposure to light: Colorful inks.
• Exposed sites and long useful life: Pigmented.

Now I hope that with this information you can make a better decision, see all our products here.