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Guides and resources

Short, practical guides for buyers of coding and marking equipment.

How to choose a TIJ ink cartridge

  • Size. A 12.7 mm cartridge prints up to 12.7 mm tall and a 25.4 mm cartridge up to 25.4 mm. Match the cartridge to your printer's print height.
  • Ink type. Water-based inks suit porous surfaces such as cartons and paper. Solvent inks suit non-porous surfaces such as plastic, metal and glass. See the Material Guide.
  • Colour. Black is the standard. White, red, blue, yellow and green give contrast on dark or coloured packaging. Invisible and UV inks are used for security marks.
  • Chip. The cartridge chip must match your printer. The cartridge chip must match your printer, so send us your printer model and we will confirm.
  • Handling. Do not insert or remove the cartridge while the printer is printing. Keep unopened cartridges in their packaging; shelf life is 9–12 months.
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Inkjet or laser marking: which one fits?

  • Inkjet prints with ink on cartons, plastic, metal, glass and rubber. It supports colours and is a good fit for dates, batch codes and QR codes. Ink cartridges are the running cost.
  • Laser marks permanently without consumables. Fiber lasers suit metals, UV lasers suit glass, plastics and packaging, and CO2 lasers suit wood, paper, leather and fabric.
  • Handheld or fixed. Handheld printers suit varied or large items. Online coders and flying lasers are built into production lines and match line speed.
  • If you are not sure, send us a photo of your product and the code you need and we will recommend a machine.
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Choosing a handheld inkjet printer

  • Print height. 12.7 mm for most date and batch codes (CD12, CF12). 25.4 mm for larger text (CD25, A25). 50 mm (A50), 60 mm (A160) and up to 100 mm (A1000, DT-T1000) for big characters on cartons and pallets.
  • Battery and weight. Detachable batteries keep long shifts running. The CD series weighs about 0.8 kg.
  • Surfaces. Check that the ink and print distance suit your material. Curved or rough surfaces may need a positioning plate.
  • Software. Look for on-device editing, the languages your team reads, and support for logos, QR codes, dates and counters.
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