A nanoscale pigment particle composition includes a quinacridone pigment having at least one functional moiety, and a sterically bulky stabilizer compound having at least one functional group, wherein the functional moiety associates non-covalently with the functional group; and the presence of the associated stabilizer limits the extent of particle growth and aggregation, so as to afford nanoscale-sized particles of the pigment. The composition is made by providing a first solution containing a quinacridone pigment precursor or a crude quinacridone pigment, having at least one functional moiety; providing a second solution containing stabilizer molecules of a sterically bulky stabilizer compound having one or more functional groups that associate non-covalently with the functional moiety of the pigment or precursor; combining the first and second solutions to form a third mixture of precipitated quinacridone pigment particles having nanoscale particle sizes, and wherein the functional moiety of the pigment associates non-covalently with the functional group of the stabilizer compound.