Understanding the “Soul” of Ink – Pigment

Hello everyone! I’m a star employee at CHROMÉCLAIR, a brand of hema-free gel polish.Let’s get to know inks and pigments today! Simply put, pigments are tiny particles with color (or white) that are insoluble in media such as oil and water. They are the “soul” of ink and are mainly responsible for two things: 1) Provides color and hiding power: Allows printed products to display the desired color while covering the base material’s natural color. 2) Enhances ink layer performance: Acts like armor for the ink layer, improving its strength, abrasion resistance, and aging resistance. Some pigments come from natural minerals, while others are artificially synthesized.   Six Key Characteristics for Judging Pigment Quality We can use the following key indicators to measure the quality of a pigment:

1. Tinting Strength

• What is it:How well a pigment “tints” other materials.
• How to Understand:The stronger the tinting strength, the less you need to achieve the desired color, saving material while still achieving vibrant color. For example, a small amount of a strong blue pigment can neutralize the yellow tint in white ink.

2. Hiding Power

• What is it: The ability of a layer of ink to conceal the color of the underlying material.
• How to Understand: This depends primarily on the pigment itself. A pigment with good hiding power is like a thick coat of paint; one coat completely covers the old wall color. The standard for measuring hiding power is the number of grams of pigment required to cover one square meter. The less paint used, the better the hiding power.

3. Lightfastness and Weatherability

• What is it: The ability of a pigment to resist exposure to sunlight, wind, and rain, maintaining its color and performance.
• How to Understand: Outdoor advertising, automotive paint, nail polish, and other products require pigments with excellent lightfastness and weatherability, otherwise they will quickly fade and chalk. Some pigments (such as mica iron oxide and aluminum powder) absorb UV rays, protecting the ink layer from the sun and extending its lifespan. 

4. Chalking Resistance

What is it: The ability of an ink layer to resist turning into powder and falling off. How to Understand: If the ink layer is of poor quality, sunlight will damage the “glue” (adhesive) within it, causing the pigment particles to lose their bonds and fall off like wall paint. This is called “chalking.”

5. Heat Resistance

What is it: The ability of a pigment to maintain its color at high temperatures. How to Understand: For products that require baking, the ink must be heat-resistant; otherwise, it will change color once placed in the oven.

6. Acid and Alkali Resistance

What is it: The ability of a pigment to resist corrosion from acids or alkalis while maintaining its original color. How to Understand: Choose based on the intended use. For example, if a product is intended for alkaline environments, the ink must be alkali-resistant. Pigment “Family” Classification Based on their primary role in inks, pigments can be divided into four major categories:  01. Coloring Pigments

• Responsibility: Primarily responsible for providing color and hiding power, they are the primary source of ink color.
• Members: Based on color, there are various members, including yellow, red, blue, green, white, black, orange, purple, and metallic colors.

2. Anti-Rust Pigments

• Purpose: Specially used in anti-rust inks to protect metal substrates from rust.
• Working methods are divided into two categories:

Physical Anti-Rust: These pigments are inherently stable, acting like tiny “shields,” forming a dense ink layer that blocks moisture and air from reaching the metal. Examples include red iron oxide and flake-like aluminum powder. Chemical Anti-Rust: These pigments react chemically with the metal surface to form a protective film, or they sacrifice themselves to protect the metal. Examples include red lead and zinc chrome yellow.

3. Extender Pigments (Extender Pigments)

• Function: They act as fillers and functional additives in inks.
• Functions and Benefits:
• Cost Reduction:They use inexpensive materials to fill the ink’s volume, saving on expensive coloring pigments.
• Performance Improvement: They increase ink film thickness, making it harder and more wear-resistant, prevent other pigments from settling, and provide a smoother surface.

4. Specialty Pigments

These pigments possess unique properties, enabling them to impart special effects to inks.

• Effect Pigments:
• Effect: The most typical example is angular color shift, where the color changes depending on the angle of view (such as the iridescent effect on some car paints and phone cases).
• Principle: They reflect light in a unique way, resulting in a single color when viewed from the front, but a different, or even complementary, color when viewed from the side.
• Fluorescent Pigments:
• Effect:They absorb light and emit a vibrant, bright glow. They are commonly used in safety signs and fashion items.
• Antistatic Fillers:
• Principle: When added to inks, they prevent the generation and accumulation of static electricity on surfaces like plastics, preventing dust attraction and potential hazards.

I hope reading this article will help you understand the knowledge of ink pigments more easily!   CHROMÉCLAIR offers Base coats, Top coats, solid color gel polish without HEMA, and hema free cat eye gel polish. Their website also features nail art tutorials, such as:

Get a sheer French manicure without crystal glue!

How to Do the Aurora Ice Manicure at Home?

Related product references: For formulation review or sourcing comparison, see CHROMÉCLAIR HEMA-free & TPO-free Gel Polish and CHLUMINIT TMO.