Ink, service and getting started
The machine is a one-off cost. The cartridge is the one you pay every month — so here is exactly what it is, what it costs, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Ink
Cartridges in stock — water-based for carton and board, solvent-based (fast-dry) for plastic, foil, glass and metal.
Service
Message us with your invoice number and a photo of the fault. You get an answer the same working day.
Getting it running
Five steps to your first print, and a short list of what goes wrong and why it goes wrong.
Ink cartridges
On a TIJ coder the print head is built into the cartridge, so every time you change ink you fit a new head as well. A blocked nozzle is a consumable, not a repair.
Porous — water-based ink
Ink soaks into the fibre and is fixed almost immediately. This is the cheapest cartridge and the most forgiving to print with.
Non-porous — solvent-based (fast-dry) ink
Nothing absorbs the ink, so it has to dry on the surface. A solvent-based, fast-dry cartridge is not optional here.
We hold both types in stock. Check which one your surface needs, or tell us what your pack is made of and we will send the right one with the machine. To reorder, message us on WhatsApp with your invoice number.
Order a cartridge before 12 noon on a working day and it is dispatched from Pune the same day; or collect it free from our Pune store — Lane 2b, SN-253, Khese Park, Pune – 411032, Maharashtra, India — where you can also see one run. Not nearby? Ask on WhatsApp for a video-call demo.
Work out your real cost
Cost per thousand prints = cartridge price ÷ (cartridge yield ÷ 1,000). Not machine price. A coder locked to proprietary chipped cartridges routinely costs more over a year than it saved on the day you bought it. Ask any supplier — including us — for the yield and the open-market cartridge price in writing.
Service and 1 year warranty
One year from the invoice date on every machine we sell. Hassle-free, and the terms are the short ones printed on your invoice rather than a schedule of exclusions you find out about later.
How to raise an issue
- 1. Message us on WhatsApp with your invoice number.
- 2. Send a photo of the print, or a short video of the fault happening.
- 3. You get an answer the same working day — whether it is covered, and where to send it.
Before you send anything
Most faults we are sent turn out to be a dried-out cartridge or the wrong ink for the surface, and both are fixed the same day without the machine leaving your floor. Work through the list below first — it costs you ten minutes and usually saves a week.
Returns, replacements and cancellations are covered by our returns & refunds policy, and dispatch times by the shipping policy.
Your first print
Five steps. The one that matters most is the last one.
Charge it fully
Before the first run, not between runs. A half-charged unit mid-batch is an avoidable stoppage.
Fit the cartridge for your surface
Water-based for carton and board. Solvent-based (fast-dry) for plastic, foil, glass and metal. Getting this wrong is the single most common problem.
Compose the message
Start with the fixed text, then add a date field and a batch counter. Print a test to the screen preview before you print to a pack.
Print onto the real material
A scrap of the actual carton or bottle, never a sheet of office paper. Paper takes ink beautifully and tells you nothing about your pack.
Check it with a fingertip after five seconds
If the print moves, you are on the wrong ink for that surface. Stop and change the cartridge before you code the batch.
When something goes wrong
Five faults account for almost everything we get asked about.
The print is faded, or part of the line is missing
Almost always the nozzles rather than the machine. Wipe the head face gently with a lint-free cloth and run a purge, then reprint. If a band is still missing after that, the cartridge has partly dried out — see the last item below.
The print smudges on plastic or foil
You are on water-based ink on a non-porous surface. Nothing absorbs it, so it never sets. Switch to a solvent-based, fast-dry cartridge; no amount of drying time will fix the water-based one on that material.
The printer will not wake up
Charge it on the supplied charger for a few minutes before deciding anything — a fully flat unit can take a little while before it shows any sign of life. If there is still nothing after that, message us with the invoice number and we will pick it up from there.
The print comes out stretched or squashed
The guide roller measures how far the unit has travelled, so if it is not in contact with the pack the whole way across, the spacing goes wrong. Keep the base flat on the surface and draw it in one steady movement rather than in stages.
The cartridge dried out between runs
TIJ ink sets fast by design, which is exactly why an exposed head clogs during a gap in production. Cap the cartridge whenever the machine is idle. A head left open over a weekend will usually need replacing.
Still stuck? Message us.
Your invoice number and a photo of the print is usually all we need to tell you what is happening.