Difference Between Sublimation Transfer Ink, Dye Ink And Pigment Ink

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Difference Between Sublimation Transfer Ink, Dye Ink And Pigment Ink

Sublimation transfer ink is also called sublimation ink, which is mainly used for heat transfer printing products. The sublimation transfer ink can be printed on other products after being heated by the heat transfer machine, so it is one of the essential materials in the sublimation transfer industry and mainly used in non-cotton materials.

sublimation transfer ink


1.Compared with other dye inks, pigment inks and water-based inks, sublimation transfer inks are bright and dense, and have high density. Sublimation transfer inks are mainly produced in the United States and South Korea, and American heat transfer inks and Korean heat transfer. The ink color is fresh and thick, and the American sublimation transfer ink printed on paper and the Korean sublimation transfer ink pattern are light and clear. After heat transfer by the heat transfer machine, the image is clear and the color reproduction degree is high. It is also the advantage of import sublimation transfer ink printing.

2.Dye ink is a molecular-level fully dissolved ink. This ink is a complete composite solution. The probability of blocking the ink head is very small. It is easy to be absorbed by the material after printing, and the color is gorgeous. Moreover, the cost of manufacture is low, and the disadvantage is that it is not waterproof, and since the dye molecules are rapidly decomposed under ultraviolet irradiation, the use of outdoor ultraviolet rays is markedly faded within one month. The advantage is that the color is bright, the layer is clear and the price is lower than the pigment type ink, so it is the first choice for printing pictures and making color inkjet cards.

pigment ink3.The pigment ink said that the image point is powdery ink, of course, this is just a kind of image, and is not accurate enough. To be precise, it is a solid pigment that is ground into very fine particles and dissolved in a special aqueous solvent. It is a suspension solution or a semi-solution, which is the same as the pigment of our dyed clothing. Contrary to the principle that dye ink penetrates into the medium to form a color, it is colored by the color material attached to the surface of a medium such as copy paper or printing paper.

Therefore, it has the advantage of printing with pigment ink, even if it is printed on plain paper, it will not smear, and because the pigment itself is waterproof, it is not easily decomposed by ultraviolet rays, so its water resistance is strong, it is also light-resistant, and printed matter Even if used outdoors, it can last for more than a year without obvious signs of fading.

The disadvantage is that most of the pigment inks will leave the color material on the surface, so even if you print on paper with a flat surface such as glossy paper, you can’t print a glossy image, which is why it is usually printed with pigment ink. The things are all dull. In addition, pigment inks are more expensive to manufacture, so the price is also higher than that of dye inks. The price difference is as high as two to four times. The sublimation transfer images are brightly colored and rich in layers. The effect is comparable to printing. The difference is that sublimation transfer is an image that can be formed by sublimating a sublimation transfer ink at a high temperature, penetrating the surface of the medium, and desubliming. Therefore, a film is not formed on the surface of the medium, and the image does not fall off, is not cracked, and is light-resistant, and does not fade for a long time.


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What is Difference between Dye Sublimation Ink and Pigment ink?

Inkjet printers use either dye sublimation ink or pigment ink. Each has its own characteristics. If you use the wrong type of ink, it may result in poor image quality or reduced print life.

Dye Sublimation Ink


Digital Sublimation Ink also known as Digital Textile Sublimation Ink. It is a special type of ink used for dye sublimation printers, which are commonly used to produce vivid, full-color, photo-quality images that resist peeling, cracking, and washing away from various types of substrates. It begins by the introduction of heat and then controlled using pressure and time. For hard items like metals, ceramic, fiber board, and similar types of materials, a special coating on the printing surface is usually required so that the material will accept the dye sublimation ink. Without this coating, the print is likely to fade away and crack easily.

Sublimation Transfer Ink


In comparison to sublimation transfer ink, pigment Inks use tiny particles of colored material to provide ink color, rather than paper-staining dyes. Pigment inks are comprised of tiny, encapsulated particles that sit on top of the paper, instead of being absorbed into a paper is fibers, which is what happens with dyes. For T-shirt printing on dark based / light based cotton materials with transfer papers, it is good to use pigment inks because it is waterproof. Most pigment ink printers may use up to eight different ink colors: cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, light gray, medium gray and black. This ink is much more stable than dye-based inks and can last more than 200 years on some paper types, under ideal (museum-quality lighting and framing) conditions.

Sublimation Printing


SUBLISTAR has been recognized for over 10 years as one of the highest quality and largest suppliers of sublimation printing materials & equipments in China, such as dye sublimation ink, sublimation transfer paper, etc. Any need, pls feel free to let me know, we will waiting for you!

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The Difference Between Dye-based Ink and Pigment-based Ink

Category : Blog , Tips & Tricks

Currently, the two most commonly used inks are pigment inks and dye inks. Dye inks are more common, whereas pigment dyes have recently gained popularity.Before you choose the ink,you should know the difference and the characteristic between dye-based ink and pigment-based ink.

sublimation printing

1.What is pigment-based ink?

This makes it the perfect type of ink to use for documents (especially photos) that kept in an archive. Pigment-based inks are perfect for printing on slicker surfaces like transparencies and stickers. However, they are more expensive than their dye-based counterparts and not as vibrant either.

Advantages:Waterproof and lightfast

Disadvantages:Large particles, relatively easy to cause plugging, the color of the printed image is not bright

2.What is a dye-based ink?

Dye-based inks have been around since the dawn of the inkjet printer. Using a dye dissolved in water, along with various optical compounds, these inks create a brighter, more vibrant colour on the page.

dye ink

They are more likely to smear and tend to fade rather quickly if exposed to too much sunlight. They also take longer to dry than pigment-based inks and will run if they come into contact with water. However, recent advances in technology have meant that certain dye-based inks (such as those found in (HP ink cartridges and Epson ink cartridges) have improved fade resistance.

Advantages:Not clog the sprinkler, printing colorful eye-catching

Disadvantages:Easy to fade in direct sunlight or water immersion

Do you have a clear recognization about the difference btween dye-based ink and pigment-based ink now?Hope this article will be helpful to you. Our company offer many types of inks.If you have some demand,please feel free to contact us.

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