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INK-JET PRINTING started with DYES, which differ from PIGMENTS in that they are dissolved, rather than dispersed, in the carrying vehicle. “The reason is obvious – you have to push the liquid througfh very fine nozzles – but dyes have certain advantages & disadvantages compared with pigments” “One major disadvantage is the stability, particularly light & weather fastness, so for long-lasting prints, particularly for outdoor applications, you’d better use pigments”
Improved dispersions are making pigment use possible in ink-jet use, through more finely ground pigment particles & narrow particle-size distributions. Additives that stabilize the dispersions are a additional approach to reconfiguring inks, including energy-cured inks, to suit ink-jet printers. Yet another is making functionalized pigments, with added chemical groups to make them more soluble or reliable in ink-jet inks
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