What is Pigments || Comparison between Dyes and Pigments

Pigments are the special type of dyeing or printing materials for wet processing technology. It is not so easy task to print or dye a material by pigments, because pigment is 100% water insoluble. So it needs to take special technique for pigment dyeing or printing. Generally pigment is use for printing.

Pigments can be define as a water insoluble coloring material mostly mineral origin have been used for coloration of metal, wood, stone and textile materials. Pigments have different types of chemical characteristics. Some examples of pigments are given bellow:

  1. Dioxazine
  2. Fluorubine
  3. Isoindoline
  4. Perylene perinone
  5. Pyrocoline
  6. Quinacridone
  7. ETC

Dyes and pigments are the main coloring materials. So we have to know about the comparison between dyes and pigments, which will give us a clear idea about this two.

Dyes Pigments
Generally organic materials are dyed or print Organic and inorganic both types are dyed or print
It is water soluble It is completely water insoluble
It contains auxo chrome in their chemical structure No auxo chrome contains in pigments
Color fastness generally average to excellent Color factness is average to good
Its application method is very easy Need binder for application
It is generally used for dyeing Generally used for printing
Dyes are expensive than pigments Pigments are generally inexpensive than dyes
Dyes have attraction for fibers They have no attraction for fibers
It applies selectively on textile materials All fibers can be color

In modern times pigment use to dyeing cotton fabric besides printing. Different types of pigment are supplied by different well known dye and pigment manufacturing companies.

6 thoughts on “What is Pigments || Comparison between Dyes and Pigments

  1. Can you please describe me the basic characteristics of Pigments used in textile printing and especially its behaviour related to Perspiration and Saliva fastness properties?
    Is Perspiration & Saliva fastness is builtin properties of pigments?

  2. The topic was adequately addressed but not thoroughly. This article is in desperate need of editing. Several sentences make no sense. All-in-all I was not very impressed.

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