A comparison of adsorption characteristics of polyethylene glycol grafted polystyrene (PS-g-PEG) resin and activated carbon (F-400) on Direct Blue 78 was carried out. The PS-g-PEG showed significantly higher adsorption capacity and adsorbed more rapidly than, F-400. Adsorption on PS-g-PEG was highly influenced by salt concentration, but was relatively unaffected by pH change. Dye desorption from PS-g-PEG was achieved relatively easily. The different adsorption characteristics of PS-g-PEG resin and F-400 are explained in terms of the physical structure and the chemical properties of each adsorbent.