The main component of fluorescent ink is fluorescent pigment. Fluorescent pigment is a functional luminescent pigment that differs from general pigments in that when it is irradiated with light (including ultraviolet light), it can absorb a certain amount of energy in a certain form, not convert it into heat energy, but rather excite photons, releasing the absorbed energy in the form of low-energy visible light to produce different fluorescent phenomena. Different color lights combine to form exceptionally bright colors, and when the light stops shining, the luminescence disappears, hence the name fluorescent pigment.

Fluorescent ink can be further divided into organic fluorescent pigments and inorganic fluorescent pigments. Organic fluorescent pigments are made by fully dispersing fluorescent dyes (fluorophores) in transparent, brittle resins (carriers), and the color is determined by the fluorescent dye molecules. Inorganic fluorescent pigments, also known as ultraviolet-induced fluorescent pigments, are made by combining metal sulfides (zinc, chromium) or rare earth oxides with trace activators and then calcining them. They are colorless or light white, and under ultraviolet light (200nm400nm) they present various visible colors (400nm800nm) depending on the type and content of metals and activators in the pigment. The composition ratio of various fluorescent inks is different, resulting in different effects.