Using inkjet printers to add barcodes and other information to corrugated shipping cases directly is nothing new.
Inkjet printheads have been doing this for years, printing ITF14 barcodes and text onto cases as an alternative to pre-printing or for labeling.
One of the drawbacks of inkjet printers has been the limited throw distance of the ink drops – the distance individual drops of ink can travel from the print nozzle to the printed product. This has been limited to just a few millimeters, meaning that product handling on the packaging line must be extremely precise to achieve good results.
Another issue is that the piezo inkjet printers (such as those using Trident printheads) used for case coding have been limited by low print resolution. While this isn’t a problem for printing ITF-14 barcodes and large text, obtaining good print quality when printing smaller font sizes can be difficult.
Innovation in Inkjet Technology
New products from Markoprint and Keyence.
Two recently launched inkjet products, designed for case coding applications, have been designed to address both of the issues mentioned – they can operate further away from the product than traditional inkjet printers and print with higher resolutions to obtain good results, even with small fonts.
Markoprint Singular 108
The Singular 108 printer utilizes HP’s new TIJ 4.0, thermal inkjet technology.
Previous generations of HP’s TIJ products were limited to a print height of 12.7 mm, but TIJ 4.0 printheads can print up to 22 mm high.
The Singular 108 printhead uses 5 TIJ 4.0 heads to achieve a print height of 108 mm, ideal for case coding.
Singular 108: Basic Specifications:
| Singular 108 Case Coder | |
| Technology | HP TIJ 4.0 Thermal Inkjet |
| Max Print Height | 108mm |
| Resolution | 300 dpi |
| Throw Distance | Up to 10 mm |
| Max Print Speed | Up to 180 m/min |
| Ink Type | Water Based |
Keyence CC-1000 Series Case Coder
The CC-1000 Case Coder from Keyence uses a piezo printhead (I believe from Konica-Minolta), that prints at 360 dpi.
The system is currently available in two versions, CC-1010, which prints up to 56.4 mm high and the CC-1020, which can print up to 72 mm high.
The CC-1000 printers can be supplied with an integrated inspection system for validating barcodes and ensuring print quality.
Keyence CC-1000 Series: Basic Specifications
| Keyence CC-1010/CC-1020 Case Coder | |
| Technology | Piezo Electric Inkjet Printhead |
| Max Print Height | 56.4 mm (CC-1010) / 72 mm (CC-1020) |
| Resolution | 360 dpi |
| Throw Distance | Up to 15 mm (CC-1010) / Up to 12.5 mm (CC-1020) |
| Max Print Speed | 100 m/min |
| Ink Type | KEYENCE developed mineral oil free ink |
Where to Get More Information
If you are in North America and want to learn more about the Singular 108, you can visit the Automated Marking website here: Singular 108 Case Coder
For the Kenence CC-1000 Series, head to the CC-1000 Product page
