More of the companies making ink jet printers are changing the way they make ink, and as a result, offering prints that smudge less, fade less and look better longer. Tech industry insider Marty Winston explains it.

Most early ink jets used inks based on color dyes. Epson made waves by using inks based on pigments, which do a better job of putting color on paper. Now many of the other brands are moving to pigment inks, too.

Fingerprints, water spots, sun fading and aging are much smaller problems with pigment inks. Many printers now use them, so ask when you buy.