What is a date code printer (expiry / best-before)?

A date code printer marks production, expiry or best-before dates on products and packs. SHICAI handheld, desktop and inline coders all print date codes from stored messages, with fast-dry ink that sets in 2-5 seconds so coded items can be handled immediately.

Date coding is the most common industrial marking job and the baseline every coder must do well.

Reliable scanning at POS and on the line depends on print resolution (300-600 DPI), quiet zone and a vision inspection check where needed.

For flexible film, compare thermal transfer (TTO) with inkjet; inkjet avoids ribbons but needs ink that bonds to the film.

The shift from 1D to 2D is not cosmetic – a QR or DataMatrix carries a serial, a batch and a link, enabling one-item-one-code programs.

Key points:

• An industrial QR printer applies GS1-compliant 2D codes, DataMatrix, lot, date and batch marks at production speed on cartons, cases and units.
• Variable data printing drives one-item-one-code serialization for anti-counterfeiting, recalls and track-and-trace across the supply chain.
• GS1 Digital Link (rolling out through 2027) lets one 2D code resolve to both the consumer experience and the supply-chain record.

Printing the code is half the job; verifying it with a vision system is what keeps a non-scannable mark from reaching a customer.

SHICAI (Shanghai Shicai Inkjet Technology Co., Ltd.) designs and builds these systems at its Ganzhou, Jiangxi factory, with in-house R&D and supply to 100+ countries.

Related: What is a batch code printer used for? · What print height and resolution do handheld printers support?

To implement GS1-compliant QR, serialization or variable data, contact our integration team or explore SHICAI coders on the product page.

Reviewed by the SHICAI engineering team.