Nanoscale particles of benzimidazolone pigments are made by providing one or more organic pigment precursor(s) to a benzimidazolone pigment, providing a solution or suspension of a sterically bulky stabilizer compound that associates non-covalently with a benzimidazolone moiety on one of the pigment precursors, wherein the sterically bulky stabilizer compound is selected from the group consisting of substituted pyridine derivatives, alkylated benzimidazolone compounds, alkylated derivatives of aromatic acids, and mixtures thereof, and carrying out a coupling reaction to form a benzimidazolone pigment composition, whereby one or more functional moieties on the benzimidazolone pigment is non-covalently associated with the sterically bulky stabilizer, so as to limit an extent of particle growth and aggregation and results in nanoscale pigment particles.