Pigment ink is durable and adheres well to paper, but can be more expensive than dye-based ink. Archival pigment ink is designed to last a long time and is preferred by artists for its resistance to fading.
Pigment ink is ink that sits firmly on a paper and is generally not washed away by water or friction. Pigment inks usually contain other agents than those in standard dye inks and these agents ensure adhesion to the paper. Typically, pigment inks contain larger particles than other inks; these particles get absorbed by the surfaces they are applied to and are difficult to remove after this point. While water tends to stain plain dye inks, pigment inks usually shed very little once dry, even when immersed in water. Pigment inks can be used for almost any purpose that dye inks can be used for, and they can also be used as an ink source for printers.
While the dye in dye-based inks tends to dissolve completely in water, pigment ink usually doesn’t dissolve completely. For this reason, dye-based inks tend to offer a much smoother writing and printing experience. They can also be made to show much brighter, fuller colors. If, however, dye-based inks are exposed to even small amounts of water, the ink smears on the paper and makes the writing or image damaged or illegible. The larger, undissolved particles of pigment inks, however, get absorbed into the fibers of the paper and tend to be much harder to break down without physically destroying the paper.
While a pigment ink has many clear advantages over other types of ink, which typically fade more easily and wear out faster, pigment ink also tends to be more expensive. Archival pigment inks, which are made to last a long time without fading or suffering water damage, can get quite expensive. Pigment inks are simply more expensive to produce than simpler inks, such as dye-based inks. Colored pigment inks are also very expensive due to the need to ensure that the color fades as little as possible.
Archival pigment ink is an ink designed to last a long time. It’s not essential that most written documents last a very long time, and it doesn’t matter if they fade or not. For some rare documents or works of art, however, it is of the utmost importance that the ink used lasts a long time. Archival quality pigment ink can last for decades if whatever it is on is kept out of harsh environmental conditions. Many artists prefer pigment ink because it generally fades very little over time, while other inks commonly fade when exposed to sunlight for even short periods of time.
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