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Overcoming Ink Obstacles of High-Speed Primary Packaging Coding

Matthews Marking Systems’ Active Bulk Ink System ensures accurate performance of thermal inkjet printers.

Ray Fortuna, global product manager at Matthews Marking Systems discusses the Active Bulk Ink System (ABIS) at PACK EXPO Connects
Ray Fortuna, global product manager at Matthews Marking Systems discusses the Active Bulk Ink System (ABIS) at PACK EXPO Connects

There are different methods of applying primary coding, which is a series of alphanumeric characters or codes that can be applied directly to packaging, including paper, plastics, glass, and steel.

Used for track and trace and serialization, primary coding has two important factors: cost per mark and speed at which the mark can be applied. In the food and beverage industry, there are different ways to apply primary coding, which are continuous inkjet, thermal inkjet, and laser. Each, of course, have pros and cons when it comes to cost, resolution, and throw distance—which is how far the print head can be from the product.

Continuous inkjet (CIJ), printers cost between $6,000-$13,000, have a resolution of about 64 dpi, and a ½-inch throw distance. It’s good for round or recess surfaces when product control is not as critical. The CIJ also often requires service, making the cost per month a combination of ink, makeup solution, and maintenance.

Thermal inkjet (TIJ) has a median capital cost of between $1,000-$2,000 per printer, a resolution of 1,200 dpi horizontally, and a 1/8-inch throw distance, which means round objects are a challenge to print on. But TIJ can print small text and large graphics at same speed. And speed can be enhanced with interlaced cartridges. TIJ also require little to no maintenance as the cartridge is the print head which just needs to be replaced.

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