Open-system TIJ cartridges — factory direct
Open-system TIJ cartridges — factory direct
Handheld and inline thermal inkjet printers, supplied jointly with specialist equipment-manufacturing partners. They run the same cartridge platform, so one consumable covers the whole fleet. Choosing between a handheld unit and a fixed station is usually settled by your throughput.
A battery-operated half-inch handheld coder for cartons, pallets and large parts that cannot be brought to a production line. If your product cannot go on a conveyor, that is the case it is built for.
A one-inch handheld coder for content that does not fit half an inch: multi-line blocks, QR and Data Matrix codes, and logos applied in a single sweep. If half an inch will not hold your content, this is the model to compare.
A fixed thermal inkjet station for conveyor production, with photocell triggering, encoder synchronisation and multi-head stitching up to 76.2 mm. If your line already runs a conveyor and a photocell, this is the station that bolts onto it.
| Parameter | Handheld · 12.7 mm | Handheld · 25.4 mm | Inline industrial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print width | 12.7 mm (half-inch) | 25.4 mm (one-inch) | 12.7 – 76.2 mm with stitched heads |
| Print height range | 1.2 – 12.7 mm | 2 – 25.4 mm | 6.35 – 76.2 mm |
| Coding content | Single line, or two compact lines | Multi-line text, QR and Data Matrix in one pass | Multi-line, variable data, serialisation |
| Mobility | Battery, fully portable | Battery, fully portable | Fixed to the line, bracket or gantry mounted |
| Trigger | Manual trigger, internal encoder wheel | Manual trigger, internal encoder wheel | Photocell, encoder synchronisation or timed |
| Operator interface | Touchscreen, on-device editing | Touchscreen, on-device editing | Controller UI plus line signals |
| Best for | Cartons, pallets, awkward or large parts, low volume | QR and multi-line codes, cartons, bottles, low to medium volume | Continuous production, batch and date coding at line speed |
One cartridge prints a fixed band — 12.7 mm or 25.4 mm tall. For taller content you mount several heads side by side and stitch the output into one image. Two heads stacked give 50.8 mm, four give 76.2 mm.
Stitching is alignment plus timing. Each head has to continue the previous nozzle row without a visible seam, and fire timing has to compensate for the physical offset. The practical cost is setup and upkeep: every added head is another alignment to hold, another plate to keep clean, another place a dropout can show. Specify the fewest heads that cover your content, and keep speed margin instead of adding heads.
Tell us the material, the line speed and what you need to print. We will name the ink system and post you samples you can test yourself.
