Jan. 13, 2025
Are you looking for the best ink to use for different paper crafting projects? Or perhaps you're torn between choosing pigment ink or dye ink? Look no further! Today, we'll discuss the key differences between pigment ink vs. dye ink, what is pigment ink, and what are the features, pros, and cons to using these different types of inks for paper crafting.
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Pigment-based ink is a type of ink used to color paper and other surfaces. Pigments are tiny particles of solid matter suspended in a liquid or gas medium, such as water or air. In this case, the pigment is mixed with an oil-based carrier. This type of ink has been around for centuries and was originally made from natural pigments like those found in plants, animals, and minerals.
Unlike water-based inks, pigment inks are water-resistant and more fade-resistant. They can be a great way to add color, texture, and vibrancy to your cards, scrapbooks, journals, and other paper crafts. Commonly, they are used in mixed media art and watercoloring projects.
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Pigment ink combines water, pigment, resin, and other additives to create durable and high-quality ink. Depending on the desired outcome, the ink may be heated or cooled during its creation process.
It's the go-to ink for printing on textiles, packaging labels, and other specialty applications where durability is critical. However, it's not just limited to these uses - it's also utilized in advanced industrial printing systems, digital textile printers, and direct-to-fabric printer models. So the next time you see a beautifully printed fabric or printing project, you can appreciate the magic of pigment ink!
In addition, one of the reasons pigment ink is so powerful is because of its oil-based pigment components. This makes it easy to use on multiple crafting projects. While there are different types of pigment-based inks available today, each type shares the characteristic of being water-resistant and fade-resistant over time.
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In paper crafting, using a pigment ink pad is nothing new. This water-proof ink is opaque, vibrant, and ideal for heat embossing techniques. It's the perfect ink for heat embossing techniques because it sits on top of the paper and doesn't absorb into it. It also takes longer to dry. These inks are more spongy and foamy compared to a dye ink pad. It is thicker and richer, and more fade-resistant.
If you're new to stamping and cardmaking, you're probably confused about the difference between pigment-based inks and dye-based inks. What is the best ink for cardmaking? Which one should you invest in? The answer will surprise you - get both! It's hard to compare the two inks without highlighting some of their excellent features. Both inks offer a lot of benefits for different projects. As a cardmaker, crafter, or scrapbooker, you will be trying various techniques and need both types of ink to create beautiful and unique crafts.
The most notable difference when talking about pigment ink vs. dye ink, other than the formula, is that while the latter 'dyes' the surface, the former sits on top of it.
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Most stampers will tell you that dye-based ink is the best ink for stamping. Dye-based ink is vibrant, translucent, acid-free, fast-drying, and fade resistant. It works well with various kinds of paper and pairs perfectly with rubber stamps and clear photopolymer stamps. Since the color substances are dissolved in a liquid, they absorb into the paper and don't sit on top like a pigment ink pad.
If you want to know the main differences between using pigment inks and dye-based inks, refer to the table below:
Type of Ink
Features
Pros
Cons
Pigment-based ink
Dye-based ink
Pigment inks are incredibly versatile inks that can be applied to a broader range of fabrics than dye-based inks, including polyester and nylon. This makes them the preferred choice when creating custom textile items such as purses, tote bags, pillowcases, or t-shirts.
They also provide better color accuracy than dye-based inks because they dry quickly with less bleeding or smearing when printed onto fabric substrates. Additionally, pigment ink can withstand extremes of temperature and humidity, making them ideal for use under various environmental conditions.
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One of the significant benefits of pigment-based ink is that it is waterproof. This means that you can use it to print on fabrics for outdoor clothing, use it for watercoloring cards, stamping on shrink plastic, and more.
Another benefit to using pigment inks is that they are more water-resistant than dye inks. The ink will "bead" up when you overlay an area with water instead of sinking into the fibers like dye-based inks would do. This means you won't have to worry about the ink bleeding when printing on cardstock or cardboard items.
However, one disadvantage is that pigment ink pads are more expensive than dye-based inks because of their added resin content. Resin, a more costly material, helps them hold up better on thicker items like paper, cardstock, fabric, and plastics. Another potential downside is that it takes longer for the ink to dry on the surface than it would with other types of ink.
The simple answer is: it's still a personal preference that depends on the type of project you want to work on. Just remember, not all inks are created equal. Do your research and find one that suits not just your budget, but your crafting needs as well!
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Featured content:In the battle of pigment ink vs. dye ink, the former offers many advantages over the latter because it renders well to a wide variety of techniques and mediums. Pigment ink might be a bit pricier than dye inks, but their durability and quality are unmatched.
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When buying pigment inks, you need to remember the different types of pigment-based inks available on the market, including solvent-based, water-based, or oil-based. The solvent-based pigment ink pad is by far the most popular and can be used with different types of fabric and other surfaces, such as paper and plastic.
What makes pigment ink pads a must-have for paper crafters? Not only are they versatile, but they can also be used in a wide range of DIY crafting projects: from handmade cards and scrapbook pages to personalized t-shirts! Yes, you read that right! These water-based inks can be used to stamp gorgeous and unique designs on different types of fabric such as cotton, canvas, and linen.
Here are 9 things you should know about Altenew's line of pigment-based inks!
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All in all, pigment inks are a must-have for any paper crafting project. It is your best option if you're looking to make cards, scrapbook pages, or mixed media art pieces with impressive color and texture.
You can use these multi-purpose inks can be used on most surfaces, including watercolor papers, wood veneers, fabric, and more - leaving room for endless creative possibilities!
The best part is that, you can also blend pigments into each other using tools like sponges or ink blending brushes, creating an endless number of unique colors that you won't find anywhere else. If you're a beginner who wishes to explore different techniques and ideas using these versatile ink pads, make sure to check out our FREE Crafting 101 Mixed Media Inks online class! So what are you waiting for?
Material Science
Water dissociates into an equal amount of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions. The amount of these ions is quite small, but it defines our pH scale. At 25º C, the amount of hydrogen ion (or more correctly hydronium ion) is 10-7 moles/liter. The pH is defined as 'log[H30+] concentration.
In the case of water at 25º C, the pH is 'log[10-7] or 7. If there are more H30+ ions, the water solution is acidic, and if there are less than 10-7 moles of H30+ ions, then we are alkaline.
In a water-based ink, many of the ink components contribute to the ink pH. For example, the common acrylic resins used in water-based inks are acidic. They are not soluble in water but are soluble when alkaline materials are added.
When these acidic resins dissolve in alkaline water, they become neutralized and form soluble salts. The solubility is dependent on the pH. If the pH drops, the resins will tend to become less soluble and may "kick out" of solution.
Pigments are insoluble, but they depend on the pH for their fine particle stability. Dispersing resins and agents form salts around the pigment particle, which enhance the pigment stability through like-charge repulsion between particles. Since some pigments are salts themselves, pH compatibility evaluation is essential.
Likewise, resin emulsions can be selected that are more stable in alkaline conditions.
Most water-based ink systems use ammonium hydroxide and volatile amines to control and maintain alkaline pH in the ink. Since often they are volatile, other alkaline additives or buffers can be added to help maintain pH.
In reality, every component of the ink must be tested for optimum performance of the working pH range of the ink. Most water-based inks run at an alkaline pH of 8'9.5. However, ammonium hydroxide is quite volatile, so pH will drift down unless appropriate formulation steps are taken to buffer the pH range. If the pH is allowed to drift down, the ink will increase in viscosity, build up on the printing plate, and produce unacceptable levels of foam. In addition, the high levels of ammonium hydroxide can create high levels of "ammonia" odor.
Problems associated with a drop of pH are commonplace. Since the viscosities often increase with a drop of pH, foaming and print quality may deteriorate. Dirty printing is a term often used to describe ink prematurely drying on the flexographic printing plate and casing the print to show a ragged edge or spots near the print edge.
Several years ago Eastek (Eastman Chemical) came out with a new breed of water-based inks that could be run essentially at neutral pH. This technology was based on a new class of sulfonated polyesters that were dispersed in water.
Since the resins did not depend on solubility in an alkaline medium, they could be formulated in inks with near neutral pH. These sulfonated polyesters were essentially resin dispersions and typically had low viscosities. Although the technology has numerous advantages, it also has some limitations and has made minimum penetration into the conventional water-based ink market.
Today, ink formulators are developing water-based inks that can be run at lower pH with an ultimate goal of formulating inks that will run at neutral pH. New resin binders with lower acid numbers and lower VOCs are being investigated. These inks are similar to high-pH acrylic types but can be formulated with resins with lower acid numbers.
Balancing water-resistance in the printed product with lower-pH inks is a challenge. These inks must provide the same adhesion and water-resistance yet use resin binders that essentially use less ammonia. These new pH-neutral types of water-based inks still are alkaline soluble, but they can function at a lower pH range and with a wider operating window.
The objective is to have these inks run on press without the need of pH adjustment. An added bonus is that press cleaning should be easier, and less foam should be generated.
The driving force for developing neutral pH inks is to reduce press-side odor from ammonia and improve press stability and performance.
For more information, please visit water based pigment ink.
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