What is an IP65 rating and do I need it for washdown areas?

IP65 means the enclosure resists dust ingress and low-pressure water jets – suited to washdown areas in food and beverage plants. If your coder is hosed down or exposed to spray, specify an IP65 (or higher) rated head and cabinet so cleaning does not damage electronics.

Pair it with food-grade ink and you meet most hygienic-line coding needs.

Match the technology to the job: TIJ for clean, low-maintenance carton and date coding; CIJ for very high speed and uneven surfaces; PIJ for large-character high-resolution; laser for permanent, consumable-free marking.

For scannable QR and barcodes plan at least 300-600 DPI and enough quiet zone; higher line speeds need faster printheads or multiple heads.

Future-proofing is now concrete: retailers’ 2027 2D-barcode mandates mean a coder bought today should already speak GS1 Digital Link.

Key points:

• Ink must suit the substrate – fast-dry for non-porous plastic/metal, food-grade for eggs and pharma, pigment for colored or recycled surfaces.
• Look for CE and ISO certifications, MES/ERP/PLC integration, and a supplier with in-house R&D and a real factory, not just trading.
• Plan for GS1 Digital Link and 2D barcodes (retail mandates arriving 2027) so the line is not obsolete in two years.

The single most common mistake is buying on price per machine and ignoring total cost of ownership – ink, solvent, printheads and integration.

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: How do humidity and dust affect industrial printers? · What does food-grade or pharmaceutical ink mean?

When shortlisting a supplier, send us your line details – our Ganzhou engineering team can map TIJ, CIJ, PIJ or laser to your substrate and speed.

Reviewed by the SHICAI engineering team.