• What are the Advantages of TIJ Solvent inks?

TIJ solvent-based inks provide aggressive dry times and permanence onto difficult substrates, when compared to water-based pigment inks in the 45a cartridge. The ‘throw distance’ is greater with solvent-based inks which means you don’t have to make contact between the print head and the package when printing. 45si solvent inks print best between 1mm and 5mm distance between the printhead and substrate.

• What Packaging materials or Surfaces require or prefer Thermal Ink-jet Solvent inks?

Non-porous, or non-absorbent surfaces.  TIJ solvent-based inks are designed for printing on Poly-plastics,  metals, foils, plastic film, hard plastic, glossy boxes, and other non-porous surfaces. When in doubt, send us your material and we will make a print sample to test the ink-substrate compatibility.

• What Print Quality is Possible with TIJ Solvent Inks?

Excellent!  It far exceeds almost any other technology, especially for printing of fine prints and codes on films and Poly or metal. TIJ print quality is adjustable from 600×600 and lower.  If you’re running a lot, batch or expiration code you may consider running the print quality at 600×150 as this will cost a fraction of what you would pay for the highest resolution.  Even at lower resolutions TIJ out performs CIJ for print quality.

• Do TIJ Solvent-based inks come in the same cartridge as Pigment or water-based Inks?

Not quite.  Mechanically, the cartridges are the same size, and fit the same “socket”.  But the cartridges are quite different.  TIJ solvent-based inks are delivered via the specially designed HP 45si  (or equivalent) cartridge, where “si” refers to solvent inks. These industrial ink drops are typically larger in size, and the increased weight allows them to travel further (up to 5mm) yet still maintain high print quality. The shape and size of the HP 45si and water-based HP 45a pigment cartridges are essentially the same.

• Why choose TIJ Solvent InkJet over Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) for similar packages?

TIJ inks are self-contained in the cartridge, which means the inks gets jetted onto the substrate, not the floor, conveyor or printer. CIJ, on the other hand, is known for being messy and noxious as it uses MEK and other nasty solvents in its chemistry. On a regular basis CIJ users must shut down the production line to clean up the mess left by the coder.

• Can I save Money with TIJ solvent-based inks in terms of Total Cost of Ownership?

Total Cost of Ownership is typically a function of hardware, software, supplies, maintenance, and labor.  TIJ is lower cost than CIJ in every category except ink costs.  But when you factor-in all that’s required to run a CIJ printer, lower ink costs are not enough to offset the other expenses related to owning a CIJ system.  Service alone is a huge differentiator between TIJ solvent-based ink solutions and CIJ.

• What is the maintenance required for TIJ solvent-based package coding systems and inks?

TIJ solvent-based inks require a small amount of maintenance compared to CIJ.  Simply wipe the cartridge with a lint-free cloth to unclog any nozzles on the printhead to keep the print quality hi-resolution.

• Do TIJ Solvent Inks come in Different Colors?

TIJ solvent-based inks are commercially available today in black, red, white, blue, green and yellow.  Other colors are possible, but not commonly requested by the industry.  Contact us if you have special color request.

• Do TIJ Solvent Inks come in Bulk Supplies?

Case Printing Solutions has not found a reliable bulk system for Solvent Inks. We currently recommend the individual cartridges.

• How much can I print with a TIJ Solvent ink cartridge?

The number of printed messages per cartridge for a TIJ solvent-based inks is a function of multiple variables…..number of characters, size of characters, font type, and desired print resolution.  Some of the top TIJ coders include software that calculates how many messages of a certain type can be printed per cartridge.