Sennelier Watercolour S3 Helios Purple (671)

Quinacridone Magenta is a semi-transparent, robust bluish-red with an impressive mixing range. It makes an excellent glazing colour and is one of the bluest Quinacridone colours. The pigment's properties vary considerably, depending on how it is ground. Quinacridone pigments have relatively low tinting strength in general. For this reason, quinacridone colours are often expensive because more pigment is required in the formulation.

Permanence: Quinacridone Magenta offers excellent lightfastness in most media, but some have argued that it is less lightfast in watercolour form. Although Quinacridone Magenta received only a passing grade of "fair" under ASTM test protocols, other test results have rated the pigment from very good to excellent. Transparent reddish violet pigments, in general, have more problems with lightfastness than any other range of colours. PR122 has often been used as the Magenta of CMYK (four-colour) process printing because it offers a better tradeoff between tinting strength and lightfastness than other pigments in its class.

Toxicity: Quinacridone Magenta has no acute hazards. However, overexposure to quinacridone pigments may cause skin irritation. Quinacridone pigments contain a compound that is a skin, eye, and respiratory irritant.

History: Quinacridone Magenta came from a red violet aniline dye that was first produced in 1858 by Natanson. It was called Magenta to commemorate a battle in Magenta, Italy. Over time, Magenta became the standard colour name for a deep, violet red. Although quinacridone compounds became known in the late 19th century, manufacturing methods to make them practical for use as commercial pigments did not begin until the 1950s. PR122 has become particularly popular in formulating Magenta for CMYK process printing.

Alternate Names: Acra Red, Quinacridone Violet (PV19), Thalo Red Rose.