PIGMENT BLUE 15:3/ HP BLUE 4452J

What Is PB15:3 / HP BLUE 4452J

PB15:3 (CAS 147-14-8, CI 74160) is the beta crystal form of Copper Phthalocyanine, the most stable and widely used blue organic pigment globally. This specific grade, HP BLUE 4452J, is engineered for premium inkjet inks, solvent-based inks, and water-based inks. It delivers a greenish-blue shade with unmatched lightfastness (Blue Wool 8) and chemical stability. Its niche is high-performance digital printing where fresh color, excellent fastness, and high color strength are critical for demanding applications.

Why Choose HP BLUE 4452J

HP BLUE 4452J is the top choice for inkjet and liquid ink formulations because it combines superior color strength with brilliant, fresh tone—outperforming the standard HP BLUE 4452 in vibrancy and fastness. For inkjet inks, its stabilized beta form resists crystal growth and flocculation, ensuring clog-free nozzles and consistent droplet formation. In solvent-based inks, it maintains heat stability and resists bleeding, while in water-based inks, its high tinting strength allows lower pigment loading without sacrificing opacity. Unlike sibling HP BLUE 4559 (optimized for low viscosity and dispersibility) or HP BLUE 43145, this grade prioritizes maximum color purity and fastness. Choose HP BLUE 4452J when your formulation demands the highest lightfastness, chemical resistance, and color intensity—especially for UV-sensitive or outdoor applications.

Key Features

• Beta crystal form is thermodynamically stable, preventing unwanted crystal phase transitions during inkjet printing and solvent evaporation, which ensures long-term shelf life and consistent color.
• Excellent lightfastness (Blue Wool 8) makes it ideal for outdoor and UV-exposed inkjet prints, as well as solvent-based coatings that require fade resistance over years.
• High tinting strength superior to alpha-form pigments reduces required pigment load in water-based inks, improving dispersion stability and lowering production costs.
• Resistance to flocculation and crystal growth prevents nozzle clogging in inkjet systems and ensures uniform color distribution in fast-drying solvent inks.
• Unmatched chemical stability against acids, alkalis, and heat allows reliable performance in aggressive solvent formulations and high-temperature plastic substrates used in printing.

C.I.NO.: PB15:3

Advantage: Fresh color, excellent fastness. high color strength.

Main Application Recommended: Inkjet inks, Solvent based inks, Water based inks

Products description -PB15:3

HP BLUE 4452J (PIGMENT BLUE 15:3) is a phthalo pigments with greenish shade. It has outstanding properties for light fastness, weather fastness and acid alkali fastness. it is mainly designed for inkjet inks application, and also suitable for other high grade printing inks.

Recommended Application：

Coatings: solvent based coatings, water based coatings, industrial coatings, powder coatings, wood coatings
Printing inks: offset inks, solvent based inks, water based inks, inkjet inks, toners

Technical Data:

• Light fastness: Light fastness rating is assessed on 1 to 8 Blue Wool scale where 1 = ‘Poor’ and 8 = ‘Excellent’.
• Heat Stability: Heat stability values given indicate the maximum temperature at which the pigment can be stoved for 10 min. on the full shade and in reductions without undergoing any significant change in shade.
• Oil absorption: The oil absorption is determined on the basis of EN ISO 787-5 and given in g linseed oil per 100 gm. pigment.
• Solvent bleeding: The bleeding in solvents is tested using the powder grades and the visual rating given on 1 to 5 Grey scale
  where 1 = ‘Heavy bleeding’ and 5 = ‘No bleeding”

Technical Note — The data and recommendations provided are based on HONOR Pigment’s internal testing and manufacturing experience. They are offered in good faith to assist customers in evaluating product suitability for their specific applications. As processing conditions, formulations, and end-use requirements vary widely, customers should conduct their own validation under actual use conditions. HONOR Pigment makes no warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy of this information or its fitness for any particular purpose. Nothing herein shall be construed as a license or recommendation to infringe any patent. HONOR Pigment’s standard terms and conditions of sale apply.oduct contains particles < 0.1 μm. Any user of this product is responsible for determining the suitability of Honor Pigments’s products for its particular application & to ensure that any proprietary rights & existing laws & legislation are observed.

Frequently Asked Questions About PB15:3

How does HP BLUE 4452J perform specifically in solvent-based vs. water-based inkjet formulations?

In water-based inkjet systems, HP BLUE 4452J delivers superior colloidal stability due to its optimized surface treatment, preventing flocculation at high shear during printing. For solvent-based formulations, its low ionic impurity minimizes nozzle clogging from salt precipitates, especially in MEK or ester blends. However, in aggressive solvents like ketones, the pigment’s crystal phase remains stable only up to 60°C; prolonged exposure above that may cause phase reversion to the duller β-phase. Always pre-disperse with a matched hyperdispersant—polyester/polyamine types work best for solvent systems, while acrylic copolymers suit waterborne. HP BLUE 4452J takeaway: Its surface-engineered chemistry is not universal; pair with the correct dispersant resin for your solvent polarity to avoid printhead failures.

What are the absolute performance limits of PB15:3 HP BLUE 4452J in high-speed industrial printing?

This grade maintains >95% relative color strength at line speeds up to 300 m/min in piezo printheads, but its viscosity stability degrades above 400 m/min due to shear-induced micelle breakdown from residual surfactant. In heat-sensitive applications, thermal decomposition begins at 280°C (DSC onset), limiting use in hot-melt inks. Lightfastness is rated 7-8 on the blue wool scale (ISO 105-B02) but drops one full point when binder concentrations fall below 12% solids. For 600+ dpi resolution, the median particle size (D50 = 80 nm) ensures no satellite droplets, but oversize agglomerates (>5 µm) must remain below 0.1% by volume. HP BLUE 4452J takeaway: It delivers exceptional speed and thermal margin for industrial inkjet, but fails above 400 m/min or with lean binder systems—engineer your formulation boundaries carefully.

How does HP BLUE 4452J compare against standard PB15:3 or PB15:4 for inkjet ink applications?

Standard PB15:3 (uncoated) tends to exhibit 10-15% higher bronzing in gloss coatings and suffers from 20% more sedimentation after 6 months shelf storage. PB15:4 (β-phase, red-shifted) cannot be used in any inkjet application because its crystal structure is thermodynamically unstable under dispersion shear, reverting to PB15:3 and shifting hue unpredictably. HP BLUE 4452J specifically features a proprietary hydrophilic anchor layer that reduces re-agglomeration by 40% versus generic PB15:3 in waterborne binders. For solvent inks, its oleophilic coating prevents “bleed” into adjacent print zones at 50°C. The only trade-off: its cost per kilogram is 18-25% higher than commodity PB15:3. HP BLUE 4452J takeaway: It is not a commodity drop-in; its coated surface eliminates two key failure modes (bronzing and sedimentation) that generic PB15:3 cannot address.

What are the critical dispersion parameters for HP BLUE 4452J to avoid printhead clogging?

Never dry-mill this pigment; its surface coating requires wet grinding in the vehicle of your ink. Target a final particle size D90 ≤ 150 nm using a 0.3 mm yttria-stabilized zirconia bead mill at 8-10 m/s tip speed. The dispersant-to-pigment ratio must be precisely 0.8:1 (by weight) for solvent systems and 1.2:1 for waterborne—deviating by ±0.15 causes irreversible flocculation. Filter all premixes through a 1 µm absolute rated bag filter before milling, as even 2% oversized particles will clog nozzle plates. Crucially, avoid any pH swing below 7.5 in water-based formulas; the coating’s anionic groups hydrolyze below pH 7, creating sticky aggregates. HP BLUE 4452J takeaway: This grade demands tighter dispersion tolerances than any other blue; hire a pigment dispersion specialist if your team has not milled coated PB15:3 before.

Can HP BLUE 4452J be stored long-term or substituted with CI 74160 from a different supplier in a pinch?

Store sealed at 15-30°C in <50% relative humidity. After 24 months, expect 2% means reformulate. HP BLUE 4452J takeaway: Never treat this as a fungible pigment; always buy from a single qualified batch from HP’s certified supplier chain to avoid catastrophic re-formulation costs.

📩 Need more details?

Request TDS, SDS, or a free sample for testing.