What is the difference between oil and water, dye and pigment

[日本語]
Difference between oil based ink and water based ink
  • The main components of the ink are solvents and colorants (pigments). Oil based mainly uses "volatile organic solvent" as solvent, and water based mainly uses "water".
  • Oil based ink dries quicker than water based ink, and is easy to write on plastics and metals, as it has a strong adhesion property. On the other hand, paint such as PVC and other writing surface may melt from the ink.
  • Compared to oil based ink, water based ink is less bleed through, it is hard to melt the writing surface, so writing can be done to many things, and it has a less odor. Stickiness is inferior to oiliness, but it depends on the performance of fixing agent and colorant added to ink.
Difference between dye ink and pigment ink
  • Dyes are soluble in solvents, and pigments do not dissolve in pigments. Besides writing instruments, dyes are used for dyeing fabrics, and pigments are used in paints and cosmetics.
  • Dyes dissolve in solvents, and by mixing multiple colors it is relatively easy to make new colors. On the other hand, there are many colors that will fade away if exposed to light for a long period of time.
  • Pigment is a substance insoluble in solvent, it becomes ink which can be written with even mixture in solvent. It is superior in light resistance and water resistance compared with dye.