A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. Both dyes and pigments are colored because they absorb some wavelengths of light more than others.
Most pigments used in manufacturing and the visual arts are dry colorants, usually ground into a fine powder.
Mixing of pigments is a subtractive combination of colors. The subtractive primary colors of pigment are:
Pigments are used for coloring:
Most pigments used in manufacturing and the visual arts are dry colorants, usually ground into a fine powder. This powder is added to a binder (or vehicle), a relatively neutral or colorless material that suspends the pigment and gives the paint its adhesion.
A distinction is usually made between:
In contrast to dyes, pigments are insoluble and have no affinity for the substrate.