Dye Ink vs Pigment Ink for Heat Transfer – Find the Real Difference
It is vital to know the differences between the different types of ink to understand which ink is suited for desirable printing purposes. There are basically three types of inks that are used for printing that is:
- Dye Ink
- Pigment Ink
- Sublimation Inks
Dye Inks and Pigments Ink are used more as compared to sublimated ink. In this article, we will focus on Dye Ink and Pigment Ink. To understand the differences between both the types of ink we will first look at the characteristics of Dye ink vs pigment ink..
Dye Ink:
This ink is the most commonly used ink in the printing field. Dye ink is a mixture of water and dye. Like the sugar dissolves in water, for making this ink, the dye ink is dissolved in water. The dye ink is popular for printing because of the size of its particles. The size of the dye particles is in nanometers somewhere between 1.5- 4 nm due to which it gives bright colors on the paper, and the picture quality is also excellent. Dye inks are water soluble and can the print with dye ink can stay for 25-30 years on the paper.
Pigment Ink:
Pigment ink has been gaining popularity due to its longevity when it comes to staying power and fading. Pigment ink is made of the small ink particles that are encapsulated, which gives color. Pigment Ink has the particles of the size 0.5-2.2 micrometers. These types of ink are water-insoluble and can stay for up to 200 years.
Dye Ink vs Pigment Ink
Dye Ink | Pigment Ink |
| The dye inks have smaller particles that can seep into the paper while printing. | Pigment inks do not show the property of “seeping” in like the dye stains. |
| Dye inks can start flowing due to water or humidity because it is water soluble. | Pigment inks do not start flowing as it is water insoluble. |
| The dye ink stains the paper while printing as it is absorbed. | The pigment ink is not absorbed; rather it sits on the top of the paper, unlike dye ink. |
| The images are brilliant because of the bright colors of the dye ink. | The picture quality is not that amazing as compared to the dye ink. |
| Dye ink cannot withstand washing and UV as it is neither waterproof nor UV resistant. | Pigment ink can withstand fading, washing and UV rays. |
| As the dye can fade easily it’s staying power is up to 30 years. | The dye doesn’t fade away quickly and can stay up to 200 years. |
| Dye ink is best suited for using in offices and schools. The ink can be used to print on print cards, PVC cards, etc. | Due to it’s long staying power this type of ink can be used for printing on T-shirts for cotton material fabric. |
So after going by all the characteristics and differences in the inks, it is advised to use Pigment ink for heat transfer paper. The reason for using a pigment ink over the regular dye ink is that the pigment ink doesn’t fade quickly. It can also resist humidity and can be used for printing on the T-shirts using the right heat transfer paper. There are heat machines available that allow to press the pigment on the T-shirt using a heat transfer paper.
In conclusion, Pigment dyes should be used for heat transfer as the dye ink starts staining due to the heat.
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