For printing variable codes on a wide range of products, continuous Inkjet (CIJ) has been the preferred solution for many years – outselling competitive technologies by a wide margin. This isn’t to say that CIJ has no competition, however, some of the alternate technologies such as laser and other types of inkjet can do an excellent job for many product coding applications.
One technology that has a high profile at the moment is thermal inkjet (TIJ). TIJ for product coding is an industrial development of the familiar HP inkjet technology we’ve all used in our home and office computer Printers over the years. Unlike CIJ (where a stream of drops of ink are constantly being formed and only deflected to the product when needed), TIJ is a drop on demand type of printer, each nozzle produces a drop of ink that is propelled to the substrate at the moment it is needed to build up the image. HP is the dominant technology supplier for thermal ink jet, Funai being another supplier. For HP based printers, ink cartridges can be sourced from HP OEMs or from third-party licensees. Usually, the inks are locked to a particular brand of printer – same with CIJ.
You might have noticed that there is a lot of advertising around (both in print and online) that compares TIJ very favorably against CIJ – quite often these ads portray a sad looking CIJ printer sitting in a pool of ink that has leaked onto the floor. The message is clear – TIJ technology is cleaner, easier to use and needs far less maintenance. The user of CIJ printers should feel compelled to upgrade to this cool new (although it is not all that new) technology.
How much of this is true and how much is just hype? Well, we just happen to sell both types of printer (along with high-resolution drop-on-demand inkjet and also laser coders) so I think I can be pretty objective about this.
So which is best? The honest answer is that it depends, each print technology has some advantages – it all depends on your application and your objectives. Let’s take a more detailed look:
| Thermal Inkjet | Continuous Inkjet | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Cost | Low - simple printers can be bought for close to $1,000 | Expect to pay something approaching $10,000 |
| Cost Per Print | High - the HP or Funai ink cartridges are expensive | Low - CIJ has probably the lowest cost of print for all ink printers |
| Maintenance | Very low - replacing the cartridge effectually adds a new printer each time | Routine maintenance is reduced on modern printers, but much more than TIJ. |
| Throw Distance | Printhead needs to be very close (within 18") of the item to be printed | Up to 1" away Character size will change if distance varies. |
| Print Quality & Resolution | With up to 600DPI, TIJ printers can produce excellent text and barcodes | Lower resolution (usually a max of about 31 pixels, total). |
| Print Height | Limited to 1/2", unless using multiple printheads | Can be up to 1", although less quality than smaller prints. |
| Substrate Flexibility | Was limited to print on porous substrates only, but recent developments in solvent based inks have opened up opportunities on films and coated products. | Wide range of inks for just about every type of material. |
| Environmental Issues | Enclosed system leads to minimal release of VOCs and odors, even when using solvent inks. | Due to solvent evaporation, higher release of VOCs and odors. |
| Max Line Speed | Up to 200 ft/min full resolution Up to 500 ft/min reduced resolution | Up to 2,000 ft/min |
It is clear that there are some big differences between these two inkjet technologies, which types of application is each best for?
Continuous Inkjet
High-speed applications that are going to use a lot of ink. Printing date or lot codes on bottling or canning lines are a perfect application as well as printing on extrusions or films where a lot of ink is consumed.
CIJ printers like to be running constantly (although modern printers such as our Citronix ci5000, have controlled shutdown systems that ensure the printer is ready to produce good print after restart), so are an excellent choice for lines that run multiple shifts.
For substrates that need special inks to dry or adhere correctly.
Where the printhead cannot be mounted too close to the product (or the product position varies somewhat).
Thermal InkJet
TIJ has advantages for a number of applications:
Where the best print quality is required.
To print compliant GS1 or HIBCC barcodes for pharma or medical applications.
When the ink color needs to be changed for different jobs (just switch out the cartridge to change colors).
When multiple printheads need to be installed for multiple prints across a web.
To meet with solvent reduction programs (some companies no longer allow MEK based inks, for example).
How Can ID Technology Help?
Figuring out the best print technology to use can be difficult when there are so many variables. With a comprehensive product line and many years of product coding experience – combined with our nationwide sales and service support – we are able to help you every step of the way. We work with all kinds of customers, from the largest multinationals to small startups.
The best way to get started is to have one of our local specialists take a look at your operation and discuss your needs in detail. Contact us today – 888-438-3242 Option#3 or you can contact me directly at [email protected]. We’ll get you in touch with the appropriate ID Technology expert to get you going!
