@Melanie
Pigmented means there are physical particles. E.g. Pigmented inks can clog fountain pens if the pigments are too big, or the ink dries up.
Opposite of pigmented is non-pigmented. Dyes are non-pigmented and are used to create colours. E.g. Alcohol markers, coloured fountain pen inks.
Lightfast means resistant to fading. That's a good thing. Archival means the same as lightfast. Archival is a selling feature and is usually mentioned on the label of the product.
Pigments have varying degrees of lightfastness. In other words, not all pigments are lightfast (archival). There are pigments where the colours will fade. Even black can fade. To know which pigments will fade, you have to check the lightfast rating from the company.
@Melanie
Pigmented means there are physical particles. E.g. Pigmented inks can clog fountain pens if the pigments are too big, or the ink dries up.
Opposite of pigmented is non-pigmented. Dyes are non-pigmented and are used to create colours. E.g. Alcohol markers, coloured fountain pen inks.
Lightfast means resistant to fading. That's a good thing. Archival means the same as lightfast. Archival is a selling feature and is usually mentioned on the label of the product.
Pigments have varying degrees of lightfastness. In other words, not all pigments are lightfast (archival). There are pigments where the colours will fade. Even black can fade. To know which pigments will fade, you have to check the lightfast rating from the company.
You can find more information on pigments from Kremer Pigments, Handprint, Natural Pigments.