About

Both dyes and pigments are colored because they absorb some wavelengths of light more than others.

Mixing of dyes is a subtractive combination of colors.

Pigment vs Dye

A distinction is usually made between:

  • a pigment, which is insoluble in its vehicle (resulting in a suspension),
  • and a dye, which either is itself a liquid or is soluble in its vehicle (resulting in a solution).

In contrast to dyes, pigments are insoluble and have no affinity for the substrate.