What is the difference between water-based and solvent-based cartridges?

The surface decides it. Water-based ink soaks into porous materials such as kraft carton, corrugated board and uncoated paper, and it is the cheaper of the two. Solvent-based fast-dry ink is what bonds to non-porous surfaces such as plastic film, PET, foil, glass and metal, where water-based ink would sit on top and wipe off. If you pack in both, you need both.

How many prints does one cartridge give?

It varies with print height, how many characters are in your message and what you are printing on, which is why a headline yield figure misleads more often than it helps. Tell us your actual print and roughly how many packs a day and we will give you a yield estimate and your real cost per thousand prints in writing before you order.

Can I use any brand of cartridge in my machine?

In a machine that takes standard TIJ cartridges, yes, and that freedom is worth protecting. Some machines are sold cheap precisely because they accept only the seller chipped cartridges at a large markup, which hands one supplier control of your running cost for the life of the machine. Ask directly before you buy a machine, and ask for the answer in writing.

My cartridge stopped printing halfway through. Is it faulty?

Usually it is blocked rather than empty. Wipe the nozzle plate gently with a lint-free cloth and a little of the matching solvent, check the gold contacts on both the cartridge and the holder for ink residue, and try a purge. If a second cartridge prints correctly the first one was the fault; if neither prints, look at the holder and its contacts next.

Handheld coder part

TIJ ink cartridge for handheld batch coding printers

The one part you will buy again and again, and the only one that decides your cost per thousand prints. On a thermal inkjet machine the print head is inside the cartridge, so this is a consumable rather than a repair.

Also known as: TIJ cartridge · inkjet cartridge · batch coding ink cartridge · MRP printing ink cartridge · coder ink cartridge · print head cartridge

Ask for a price on this part

Parts are sold against your machine, not against a picture. Send the model plate and a photograph of the part in place and we confirm the fit in writing before anything is dispatched.

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When this is the part that has failed

Whole rows of dots missing from the print
Print faint or patchy across the whole message
Nothing prints at all, but the machine reports no fault
Print smudges or wipes off the pack after it has dried

What it is

Technology: Thermal inkjet — the print head is built into the cartridge
Ink types: Water-based for porous surfaces; solvent-based fast-dry for non-porous
Porous surfaces: Kraft carton, corrugated board, uncoated paper, wood
Non-porous surfaces: Plastic film and pouches, PET, foil laminate, glass, metal
Locking: Standard cartridges, not chipped and not locked to us
Shelf life: Store sealed and upright; solvent-based ink dries out once opened

Does it fit my machine?

Cartridge fit is decided by the print height your machine takes and by whether it accepts standard cartridges or only a chipped one from its own maker. Machines we build take standard cartridges, which is what keeps your running cost open to competition rather than set by one supplier. Tell us your machine and the surface you print on and we will confirm which cartridge and which ink.

Replacing it

1
Match the ink to the surface, not to the machine
Porous or non-porous is the whole question. Water-based ink on a plastic pouch prints beautifully and wipes off with a thumb, which is the most common and most expensive coding mistake there is.
2
Unseal and fit
Peel the protective tab off the nozzle plate and drop the cartridge into the holder until the catch takes. Do not touch the nozzle plate or the gold contacts.
3
Prime and test
Fire a purge or print a test message onto scrap. A cartridge that has sat unsealed may need two or three before it prints cleanly.
4
Smudge-test after ten seconds
If it smears, the ink does not suit the surface. Fix that before you code a full batch rather than after.
5
Cap it between shifts
Solvent-based ink dries at the nozzle plate. Capping, or parking the machine in its holder, is the difference between a cartridge that lasts and one that blocks.

How we sell parts

Fit: Confirmed in writing against your model plate before dispatch
Invoice: GST invoice under HSN 8443 32 50 at 18%, against your GSTIN
Delivery: Anywhere in India, or free store pickup in Pune
Bulk: Quoted directly for resellers and service providers

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between water-based and solvent-based cartridges?: The surface decides it. Water-based ink soaks into porous materials such as kraft carton, corrugated board and uncoated paper, and it is the cheaper of the two. Solvent-based fast-dry ink is what bonds to non-porous surfaces such as plastic film, PET, foil, glass and metal, where water-based ink would sit on top and wipe off. If you pack in both, you need both.
How many prints does one cartridge give?: It varies with print height, how many characters are in your message and what you are printing on, which is why a headline yield figure misleads more often than it helps. Tell us your actual print and roughly how many packs a day and we will give you a yield estimate and your real cost per thousand prints in writing before you order.
Can I use any brand of cartridge in my machine?: In a machine that takes standard TIJ cartridges, yes, and that freedom is worth protecting. Some machines are sold cheap precisely because they accept only the seller chipped cartridges at a large markup, which hands one supplier control of your running cost for the life of the machine. Ask directly before you buy a machine, and ask for the answer in writing.
My cartridge stopped printing halfway through. Is it faulty?: Usually it is blocked rather than empty. Wipe the nozzle plate gently with a lint-free cloth and a little of the matching solvent, check the gold contacts on both the cartridge and the holder for ink residue, and try a purge. If a second cartridge prints correctly the first one was the fault; if neither prints, look at the holder and its contacts next.

Related parts

Cartridge holder

The clamp that holds the cartridge and carries the firing signals to it. When a machine rejects cartridges that are perfectly good, this is almost always what has actually failed.

Cleaning kit

The cheapest thing on this page and the one that saves the most money, because most cartridges thrown away as dead were blocked rather than empty.

Guide roller

The wheel that rides the pack and measures how far the machine has travelled. Everything about print geometry depends on it turning cleanly and staying in contact.

Working across other brands and machine types too? Read the full spare parts guide, which covers continuous inkjet, thermal transfer and laser coders as well.