What are disclosed are methods for making an aqueous dispersion of a synthetic resin copolymer, said dispersion having high pigment binding capacity and adaptable to use in the preparation of printing inks or pastes, said copolymer comprising a predominant amount of water insoluble monomers together with from 3 to 8 percent by weight of an acid component which is a water soluble acid or salt, which method comprises gradually adding said water insoluble monomers, together with a portion of said acid component, to an aqueous medium containing the balance of the acid component in the form of a dissolved water soluble salt; aqueous synthetic resin dispersions made by these methods; and printing inks comprising such an aqueous synthetic resin dispersion which has been neutralized and combined with such an amount of an organic solvent as converts the dispersion into a solution or colloidal dispersion of the synthetic resin.