What is a dye based ink? Camlin ink
Are inks based on something else also? Why have they specified that their ink is dye based? What does dye based mean anyway?
What other bases for ink are there?
Inks are largely divided into two categories: dye-based and pigment-based.
Additionally, there is invisible ink, which usually consists of a variety of other ingredients that need to undergo a chemical reaction in order to become visible.
Dye is a soluble colourant, which means a dye-based ink is a solution, whereas pigments are colourants that consist of small particles, making pigment-based inks chemical suspensions (see also here).
Why the difference is important, is because both have different characteristics.
Without going into the chemical differences too much, the benefits of dye-based inks include:


Beautiful color quality
Easy to spread and paint with
Affordable and easy to find
Adheres to almost any surface


And the disadvantages are:


A tendency to fade out fast
A lack of resistance to external factors
More prone to bleeding


For pigment-based inks, the benefits are:


Resistant to most exterior factors
Can last for decades in paper
Doesn't fade out over time
Dry and adhere fast to surfaces


And the disadvantages:


Color can be a bit dull
Pretty expensive &amp; difficult to find


Lists mostly copied verbatim from here