Acrylic dye vs paint: What's the difference?

[LeatherLyfe]

Hey y'all! I am an amateur leatherworker who has made a bit of a name for myself at local craft fairs and markets for vibrantly dyed leather goods (mostly collars, harnesses, and other items that don't need to be extremely flexible). So far I have achieved this using Fiebing's acrylic dye and an airbrush, but I am interested in branching out to use different products with a wider shade range. I am thinking of going with the Angelus acrylic leather paint but I often see the words "paint" and "dye" used interchangeably for acrylic products. Are these terms synonyms or are there substantial differences between a leather dye and a leather paint that I should be conscious of before trying to colour large strips of leather with the paint? Furthermore, is there any difference between an acrylic dye like Fiebings and a fluid acrylic pigment like those sold at craft stores?

Thanks a bunch!

[fredk]

1. Dyes penetrate the leather fibres into its depth. Paints only go so far in but really remain on or near the surface

2. Paints designed for use on leather remain flexible, other paints can crack and even peel off when the leather flexes. For small areas  the craft shop paints will be ok

[Sheilajeanne]

Angelus is the go-to paint for leatherworkers. Even Tandy has started to sell it!