The Difference Between Standard Dye-Based Ink and Pigment Ink

Water Resistance
1. The dye in the dye-based ink dissolves in water like sugar does in water completely. 2. Pigment does not dissolve completely. It is more like a flour and water mixture. 3. Because of this , dye based inks flow better and have been the standard in inkjet printers. but the dye will re-dissolve and the ink will flow across the paper if drops of water hit the paper. 4. Pigment ink particles tend to settle into the tiny fibers that make up the paper, As the ink drys the pigment particles get stuck in the fibers. Thus the pigment inks are more water resistent than the dye-based inks. Only about 5 to 10 percent of the ink will re-flow if the paper is hit by water.

Fade Resistance
A. The molecules in dye-based inks are spread out. You might think of dye-based ink on paper as Similar to a beach covered with sand, because of this dye-based ink tends to fade quicker, since all of the molecules are exposed to the chemical and sunlight caused reactions that fade the ink. You may notice fading of dye-based inks exposed to direct sunlight commonly in 6 to 12 months.
B. Pigment particles are similar to large pebbles on a beach, it is more difficult for sunlight and chemicals to react with all of the pigment molecules, since most of them are hidden inside the "Pebbles". Pigmented inks will usually last for many years before fading becomes noticeable.

Print Quality
It is possible to get more 'colour" into pigments than into dyes. Therefore pigmented colours tend to be more vibrant than dye-based colours And pigmented black inks tend to be slightly darker than dye-based inks.

Price
You can't get something for nothing, Pigmented inks cost more to make than dye-based inks, so they cost more.

Usability
Canon generally use dye-based inks 2. Compaq and lexmark use pigment ink 3. Hp use pigment ink 4. Epson use pigment ink in there later model printers and dye-based in the earlier models.