In electrophoretic media, it is advantageous to use pigment particles having about 1 to 15 percent by weight of a polymer chemically bonded to, or cross-linked around, the pigment particles. The polymer desirably has a branched chain structure with side chains extending from a main chain. Charged or chargeable groups can be incorporated into the polymer or can be bonded to the particles separately from the polymer. The polymer-coated particles can be prepared by first attaching a polymerizable or polymerization-initiating group to the particle and then reacting the particle with one or more polymerizable monomers or oligomers.