When should I choose CIJ over TIJ or laser?

Choose CIJ over TIJ when line speed is very high, surfaces are uneven or recessed, or you need a long throw distance; choose it over laser when you want low upfront cost and colored or pigmented marks. TIJ wins on low maintenance for clean cartons; laser wins on zero consumables and permanence.

For beverage, cable and cosmetics lines where speed and contrast dominate, CIJ is usually the pragmatic default.

CIJ needs make-up solvent to keep the ink viscosity stable, and a simple daily/weekly maintenance routine keeps the nozzle clean.

Because the stream is continuous, CIJ prints on uneven, curved and recessed surfaces that other technologies struggle with.

CIJ stays relevant precisely because it is fast and forgiving of surface geometry – bottles, cans, cables and caps all get a crisp mark.

Key points:

• SHICAI CIJ (continuous inkjet) coders run at 1000+ m/min with a character height of 0.6-20 mm and a throw distance near 1 inch.
• They use MEK or pigment inks and run 24/7 on beverage, cable, pipe and cosmetics lines where speed and contrast matter.
• Invisible and UV-readable marks are possible for covert batch or brand-protection coding.

The trade-off is running cost: budget for make-up solvent and a small maintenance window, which is why total cost of ownership matters more than sticker price.

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 fast can a CIJ printer run? · What inks do CIJ printers use and are they food safe?

To size a CIJ coder for your speed and substrate, contact our engineers or browse SHICAI continuous-inkjet options on the product page.

Reviewed by the SHICAI engineering team.