Every pack that leaves your factory needs a legible date and batch code. Choosing between CIJ vs TIJ vs TTO is mostly a question of what you are printing on, how fast the line runs and how much maintenance you can live with. This guide explains the three technologies and helps you match one to your line.
Why the date code matters
A date code is how your customer knows how long the product keeps, and how you trace a batch if something goes wrong. In Malaysia, the Food Regulations 1985 set date-marking requirements for many prepacked foods; check which apply to your products. Retailers and export customers often have their own coding rules as well. A code that smudges, fades or prints in the wrong place can mean a rejected shipment.
CIJ: continuous ink jet
A CIJ printer fires a continuous stream of tiny ink drops. Drops that are needed are charged and deflected onto the product; the rest are recycled back into the system. The printhead does not touch the product and can sit some distance away from it.
- Prints on: almost anything: plastics, metal, glass, film, cables and coated cartons, including curved surfaces such as bottles and cans.
- Speed: very high. The CIJ printer Welpack supplies prints a single line at up to 305 m/min.
- Codes: dates, batch numbers, counters, shift codes and simple barcodes, typically in several lines of small text.
- Consider: it uses ink and make-up fluid and needs regular care; a self-cleaning cycle at start and stop helps. Print quality is functional rather than high-resolution.
Choose CIJ when you code fast-moving, non-porous or curved products: bottles, cans, caps, pipes and cables.
TIJ: thermal inkjet
A TIJ printer uses a cartridge with a printhead built in. Tiny heaters vaporise ink to push drops onto the surface, much like an office inkjet, but industrial.
- Prints on: best on porous and coated surfaces: cartons, paper, labels, and some plastics and films with suitable inks.
- Quality: sharp, high-resolution text, logos, barcodes and QR codes.
- Maintenance: minimal. When the cartridge runs out you replace it, and with it the printhead.
- Consider: the printhead must be close to the surface, and print height per head is limited.
Choose TIJ when you code cartons, cases, labels or paper and want crisp, readable codes and barcodes with little maintenance.
TTO: thermal transfer overprinting
A TTO printer uses a printhead and a ribbon. The printhead heats selected points on the ribbon, transferring ink onto the packaging film. It is mounted directly on the packaging machine and prints on the film before or as the pack is formed.
- Prints on: flexible packaging: film, pouches, sachets, labels and flow-wrap materials.
- Quality: high-resolution, durable codes that resist rubbing, moisture and handling.
- Integration: mounts on VFFS, HFFS and flow-wrap machines and runs at the machine’s speed.
- Consider: it needs a ribbon supply and, for many models, clean compressed air. The Welpack TTO needs dry, clean air at up to 6 bar.
Choose TTO when you pack in flexible film on a vertical form fill seal machine or flow wrapper and want sharp dates, batch codes or ingredients data printed on the film itself.
CIJ vs TIJ vs TTO at a glance
| CIJ | TIJ | TTO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best surfaces | Non-porous, curved: plastic, metal, glass | Porous and coated: cartons, paper, labels | Flexible film, pouches, labels |
| Print quality | Functional | High resolution | High resolution |
| Contact | Non-contact, distance from product | Non-contact, close to surface | Printhead on film via ribbon |
| Consumables | Ink and make-up fluid | Cartridges | Ribbon |
| Maintenance | Regular | Minimal | Low |
| Typical position | On the conveyor after filling | On the conveyor or case line | On the packaging machine |
How to choose: five questions
- What surface are you printing on? Film on a bagger points to TTO; cartons to TIJ; bottles, cans and plastics to CIJ.
- How fast does the line run? The fastest lines, especially with round containers, favour CIJ.
- What must the code contain? Barcodes, QR codes or several lines of detailed text favour TIJ or TTO.
- What is the environment? Dust, humidity and temperature affect every printer. Check the operating range: the Welpack CIJ, for example, runs at 5 to 45 °C.
- Who maintains it? If nobody on the shift can look after a printer, choose the lower-maintenance technology.
Many factories use more than one: TTO on the bagger for the pack, and TIJ on the carton for the case.
Fitting a coder to your line
A coder needs more than a bracket. It needs a product sensor to trigger each print, and on faster or variable-speed lines an encoder so the code stays the same length whatever the speed. On a packaging machine, a TTO is usually wired into the machine’s own controls so it prints in step with the film. Plan where the coder sits: it must see the product at a stable point, away from vibration, spray and heat, with room to change cartridges, ribbons or ink.
Think about the message too. Date formats, batch numbers and shift codes can often be generated automatically from the printer’s clock and counters, which removes the risk of an operator typing the wrong date. Ask whether messages can be stored per product and selected at changeover.
Frequently asked questions
Can one printer code both the pack and the carton?
Usually not well, because the surfaces and positions differ. Many factories use TTO on the film and TIJ on the outer carton.
Do codes smudge?
Inks and ribbons are chosen for the surface. CIJ inks dry almost instantly, and a TTO code is heat-set into the film, resisting rubbing and moisture. Always test on your material, especially on oily or cold surfaces.
What does it cost to run?
Running cost depends on consumables (ink, cartridges or ribbon), how much you print and maintenance. Ask each supplier for the cost per thousand codes with your message, not just the printer price.
Get the code right first time
Before you buy, test print on your own packaging material, at your line speed. Welpack supplies CIJ, TIJ and TTO printers, fits them to new and existing lines, and supports them from Puchong, Selangor. Send us your packaging and we will recommend a coder.