It is believed that the action of cationic polyacrylamide as a retention aid for incorporating pigment particles into a paper is based on its ability to form a polymeric bridge between particles and pulp fiber suspended in water. When the polymer is added to a mixture of fibers and pigments, this process is complicated by the different rates of polymer adsorption on the fibers and the pigment particles, the rate of collision between them, and the charge reversal of the polymer from the hydrolysis. To elucidate under which conditions the polymer can form a bridge, the processes of polymer adsorption and pigment-fiber interaction were separated. A deposition of pigment particles onto fibers suspended in water was investigated, using both components pretreated with the polymer. The results indicated that polymer adsorbed on fiber can form a bridge with untreated pigment particles regardless of the polymer charge. On the other hand, negatively charged hydrolyzed polymer adsorbed on the pigment does not form a bridge with untreated fiber. When both the fiber and the pigment are pretreated, the bridge formation depends on their surface coverage by polymer and its charge. No deposition takes place when both components are sufficiently coated by anionic hydrolyzed polymer, which indicates electrosteric repulsion. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.