Choose between laser and inkjet
March 1st 2004 Simon Powell, marketing manager, from Linx Printing Technologies, a manufacturer of coding and marking machines, compares the two technologies
When choosing a coding and marking product to meet your requirements, there are a variety of considerations to take into account. Developments in coding and marking technologies have led to a competitive and diverse market, providing users with more choice as well as more tailored products to meet their requirements. As the market grows in both the CO2 laser and continuous ink jet (CIJ) printing sectors, the debate continues as to which solution delivers the best results.
Choosing the right coding and marking solution can be a complex process. Before deciding between CIJ printers or laser coding, it is important to accurately specify your criteria such as the application in terms of substrate, line speed, appearance and complexity of the code, and available budget. You should also take account of future business needs ensuring your chosen technology meets the demands of tomorrow as well as today. Looking at what both coding solutions can offer will help to identify which solution suits your needs the best.
Laser coding produces high quality permanent marks without applying any additional substances to the product. The resulting codes may be highly visible or discreet, depending on the material. Discreet coding can be desirable for certain high quality branded items such as bottles of perfumes and champagne. Permanent coding can be useful in the fight against counterfeiting, which is important in market sectors such as Tobacco.
As no ink is involved in the laser coding process, there is no drying time and therefore no risk of smudging, but the coding process is highly dependent on the nature of the material to be coded, i.e. some materials are more difficult to mark with laser than others and this affects the speed of printing. Some materials such as bare metal cannot be marked at all by CO2 laser, though painted and anodised metals can. In contrast CIJ can print on virtually any material at high speed.
Steered beam laser systems, also known as scribing lasers, provide near letter quality printing in a variety of fonts and message formats and enable the use of high quality graphics and logos over relatively large print areas (e.g. 60 mm x 60 mm or larger). They are particularly suitable where high quality codes are required, e.g. to blend in with the style of the pre-printed packaging.
Developments in the design of laser coding systems have recently given rise to a new generation of lower cost compact scribing laser coders, which represent an affordable alternative to CIJ printers.
Despite this recent trend, CIJ still has an important place in the market. It is extremely versatile in terms of its range of suitable substrates and inks, and can be used to apply visible and non-visible codes, e.g. UV codes, to almost any material, regardless of shape or texture. Choices include inks of different colours, removable inks, fluorescent inks, food-grade inks, colour-change inks, and many more, adding yet another dimension to the coding process.
From cardboard to glass, plastics to metal, CIJ can print from one to multiple lines at speeds of up to 2 500 characters per second. Further versatility is given by the compact printhead that can be situated above, beside or beneath a production line even traversing from side to side across the line if necessary.
Another factor to be considered is cost of ownership. It is vital when planning the purchase of a CIJ or laser coder that the true cost of ownership is taken into account and not just the initial cost of purchase.
Capital costs associated with the purchase of laser coding equipment have traditionally been higher than for comparable ink jet units though this is typically balanced by its low cost of ownership due to no consumables and low maintenance.
Despite the current development of lower cost entry level laser units, it is likely that ink jet units will still win on price, as laser coders require specialist guarding and extraction equipment which adds to their initial cost.
But, throughout the lifetime of an ink jet printer, consumables (inks and solvents) are used. The initial price advantage of the ink jet is thus eroded by the cost of consumables. Servicing costs associated with ink jet units also tend to be higher.
In conclusion, both laser and CIJ printing have a role to play in the coding and marking industry. Whatever solution you choose, make sure you have explored all the options. More articles from Linx Printing Technologies Ltd: | 
