Pigment-based inks have superior binding ability, but their color looks slightly lighter than dye-based black. In general, dye-based inks create a more brilliant color than pigmented black inks and are less expensive, but they tend to degrade or fade over time. Is there a “best choice?” for black inkīoth pigment-based and dye-based black inks have advantages. This is at least four times longer than any thermal inkjet solvent ink on the market. Less chance of human error from handling inkjet printing equipmentĬhemists at Kao Collins created Sigma, a solvent ink for HP Specialty Printing Systems, with a decap time of more than 12 hours.Less set-up/take-down time for printing equipment.Ink chemists can also improve decap time, which refers to how long a printer can sit inactively and still resume printing without any adverse effects on the machinery or print quality.īlack inks with longer decap times offer two benefits: How can there be shades of black?īut color isn’t the only quality that black ink manufacturers can control.

Dryers then evaporate the ink to prevent it from smearing. When dye-based ink is applied to a surface, the fully dissolved liquid soaks or etches into the surface. Most black dye-based inks include a combination of black dye and additional cyan, magenta, and yellow ( CMYK) dyes to create a rich black. Dye-based black inkĭye-based black inks use colorants that are fully dissolved into a liquid (like water or oil). The ink formulation cure or evaporates after being applied to the substrate, leaving the pigment bound to the surface. The pigment remains suspended in the liquid. These pigments are mixed with a liquid (like water or oil) to create the ink. Pigmented black ink starts with a dry, powdered compound created from carbon particles. Adhesion, longevity, and decap time play a role in formulating a black ink specific for the intended application. Not only are there hundreds of shades of black, but industrial inkjet ink manufacturers can control other properties of the black ink down to a molecular level.

Blacked ink