Method of making pigment concentrate particles and product of same

A method of making pigment concentrate particles comprising a pigment uniformly dispersed in a polymer and having a controlled morphology and narrow particle size distribution, comprising the steps of:

• dispersing sub-micron sized pigment particles in a pigment dispersant liquid to form a first dispersion phase;
• blending said first dispersion phase with a binder to produce a second dispersion phase;
• mixing said second dispersion phase under sufficient shear to produce a suspension of small dispersion phase droplets in an immiscible suspending liquid, wherein said suspending liquid and said second dispersion phase are sufficiently immiscible to form two phases and said suspension contains a stabilizer which limits said dispersion phase droplets' coalescence;
• allowing said small dispersion phase droplets in said suspension to coalesce to a larger size at which substantially no further coalescence can occur;
• mixing said suspension of coalesced droplets with an amount of an extracting liquid sufficient to remove said pigment dispersant liquid from said coalesced droplets, wherein said extracting liquid is sufficiently miscible with said second dispersion phase to promote diffusion of said pigment dispersant liquid from said coalesced droplets, but immiscible enough with said second dispersion phase as to not disrupt the stability of said coalesced droplets;
• whereby said droplets form substantially solidified pigment concentrate particles having a controlled morphology and narrow particle size distribution;
• and
• isolating said pigment concentrate particles.