Inkjet printing is used across a wide range of industries for printing text, barcodes, lot numbers, expiration dates, QR codes, and graphics on products and packaging. Modern inkjet printers are used in offices, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, shipping departments, and production lines where fast, reliable printing is required.
Industrial inkjet printers are especially popular because they can print directly onto corrugated cartons, labels, plastic packaging, metal, paper, and many other surfaces depending on the ink formulation being used.
At Pro Pack Solutions, we supply handheld and production-level inkjet printers along with porous and non-porous ink cartridges for a wide variety of coding and marking applications.
If you are looking for industrial inkjet printers, handheld printers, or replacement ink cartridges, this guide explains how inkjet printing works and why it remains one of the most widely used printing technologies in business today.
What is an inkjet printer?
- An inkjet printer is a type of non-impact printer that prints by spraying tiny droplets of ink onto a surface without physically striking the material being printed.
- Inkjet printers print characters and graphics by spraying tiny drops of liquid ink on paper.
Components of an inkjet printer
- Print head
Print heads are a core component of many inkjet printers. They precisely control the placement of ink droplets used to create text, barcodes, graphics, and product markings on a wide variety of materials.
- Ink Cartridge
Ink cartridges store the ink used during printing. In some thermal inkjet systems, the print head is integrated directly into the cartridge, allowing both the ink supply and print head to be replaced together. Other industrial inkjet systems use separate ink delivery and print head components.
- Ink System
Industrial inkjet printers use specialized ink systems designed for different surfaces and environments. Porous inks are commonly used for corrugated cartons and paper, while non-porous inks are used for plastics, coated materials, metal, and other difficult surfaces.
- Stepper motor
When the print head is distributing ink on paper, the stepper motor moves it back and forth across the paper.
How does the Inkjet printer work?
- The majority of functions are performed by nozzles. Print head contains thousands of tiny resistors wherein ink is fed. Tiny resistors heat the ink and convert it into bubbles. This bubble drives forward the droplets through a microscopic nozzle on the page. These nozzles form dots that form lines and characters.
- Modern inkjet printers are capable of producing high-resolution text, graphics, barcodes, lot codes, and QR codes across a wide range of commercial and industrial printing applications.
- Nozzles are covered by a large-cap just after the completion of operation so that ink doesn't dry out.
Porous vs Non-Porous Inkjet Inks
Choosing the correct ink formulation is important in industrial inkjet printing applications. Porous inks are commonly used for absorbent materials such as corrugated cartons, paper, and uncoated packaging materials. These inks dry quickly by absorption into the surface.
Non-porous inks are designed for printing on plastics, coated cartons, metal, glass, and other non-absorbent surfaces. These inks typically require specialized formulations designed for adhesion and fast drying on difficult materials.
Industrial businesses commonly use porous and non-porous inkjet systems for carton coding, date coding, barcode printing, lot tracking, and product identification throughout manufacturing and shipping operations.
Advantages of Inkjet printing
Image Quality and Color
- The main reason for selecting an inkjet printer over other printers is the quality provided by them. These are preferred for high-resolution printing which is as high as 1400 dots per inch. Dots per inch represents printed dots and space between them and is the most familiar measure of resolution.
- Inkjet printers can produce high-resolution text, graphics, barcodes, QR codes, and product markings across a wide range of business and industrial applications.
Low cost
- Inkjet printing systems are often used because they provide flexible printing capabilities with relatively low setup requirements compared to CIJ and laser marking methods.
- Many businesses choose inkjet printing because it offers flexible printing capabilities without requiring contact-based printing methods.
Easy to use and reasonably fast
- Modern inkjet printers are used in offices, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and shipping departments because they are relatively easy to operate and require minimal setup time.
Way quieter than dot-matrix printers
- One more reason to buy these printers is their quietness. Dot-matrix printers are a type of impact printer which uses a ribbon or hammer to produce dots. Ribbon strikes on the surface to make dots. A noise comes from the striking ribbon on the paper surface.
Space
- Are you concerned about the space that the printer will take? Then inkjet printers are for you. They are much more compact and easy to use as compared to the laser printer.
The benefits of Inkjet Printer in Business
One question that strikes the mind of businessmen before buying an industrial printer is, “Would these be efficient and cheap at the same time?” Well, the answer is Inkjet printers have proved their significance in increasing the productivity of commercial businesses.
- You may need printers for date coding in your business. Inkjet Printers are pretty useful for this work. They require very less set-up time and hence, the jobs can be done in relatively less time.
- You would need to put barcodes, expiration dates, or QR codes on products manufactured by your company. These total solution printers would help you in doing the same.
- There are several other uses of Inkjet printers as well. You can visit this page and see the different tasks you could utilise these printers for.
- Now, several tasks such as printing banners, hoardings, etc could be done in very less time using inkjet printers. You can utilize the saved time for some other task. And this will make you more efficient than your competitors.
Industrial Inkjet Printing Solutions
Inkjet printers continue to play an important role in packaging, product marking, barcode printing, and date coding across many industries. From handheld carton coding systems to production line printing equipment, inkjet technology offers flexible printing solutions for both small businesses and large manufacturing operations.
Pro Pack Solutions supplies industrial inkjet printers, replacement ink cartridges, and coding equipment for a wide variety of applications. We also provide technical support to help customers select the correct printer and ink combination for their material and production environment.
To learn more about available systems, visit our industrial inkjet printer category or contact us for assistance selecting the right equipment for your application.
