Your plant runs a Videojet 1580, or a 1520, and somebody has asked whether a thermal inkjet printer could do the same job with less to look after. Sometimes it can. Sometimes it cannot, and the honest answer depends on the pack, the speed and the distance between the printhead and the product.
Videojet and the model names on this page belong to their owner. We use them only to say which printer you are comparing from. We are not affiliated with Videojet, we do not sell Videojet equipment, and nothing here is a statement about how well any Videojet printer performs. Marapack sells thermal inkjet under its own label, so read this as the view of a supplier on the other side of the question.
If you want a coder-by-coder opinion before you decide, book an equipment audit and we will look at the line with you.
What is the Videojet 1000 Line?
The Videojet 1000 Line is a family of continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers from Videojet, and Videojet markets the 1580 as a continuous inkjet printer. A CIJ printer codes dates, lots and other text by steering charged droplets of solvent based ink onto the product from a distance.
That is all this page assumes about the machine. For what a CIJ printer is and how it prints, see our comparison of thermal and continuous inkjet. Videojet publishes the 1580's specification in a specification sheet. Specifications change, so the manufacturer's current sheet governs, not this page.
One figure from that sheet matters for the comparison: Videojet lists the 1580 as printing one to five lines of text, at up to 914 feet per minute (278 meters per minute) at 10 characters per inch on a single line of print. We publish no equivalent figure for our thermal inkjet printers here, because speed depends on print height and configuration. If your line runs near the top of what a 1580 can do, treat that as a reason to check speed first.
Can a thermal inkjet printer replace a Videojet 1580 on your line?
Often yes on discrete case, carton, tray and bag coding where packs can be presented a few millimeters from the printhead, and no on lines that need long throw distance or the highest speeds. The deciding facts are your pack presentation, your real line speed and the surface you print on.
Run through these questions in order, because each one can end the discussion early:
- How far is the printhead from the product today? A thermal inkjet printhead has to sit close to the pack. If your Videojet is mounted well back because of guarding, product movement or an awkward face, a close range head may not be able to take its place.
- What speed does the line really run, at what print height? Not the rated speed. The speed it runs at, with the characters you actually print.
- What is the surface? Hot, wet, oily or sharply curved surfaces favor CIJ. Cartons, cases, trays, bags and film that sit flat and clean favor thermal inkjet.
- What is printed? A date and a lot code is one problem. A two dimensional code or a barcode held to a stated grade is another.
- Who owns the maintenance? If the plant has the depth to service a solvent system and does so on schedule, there is less to gain. If not, there is more.
If the answers point to a pack that can be presented close, a moderate speed and a plain date and lot code, thermal inkjet is a serious candidate. The printers and inks we supply are set out on our coding and marking equipment hub.
Where does a CIJ printer like the 1580 still win?
A CIJ printer such as the Videojet 1580 still wins when the printhead cannot get close to the product, when the line runs faster than a close range printhead can follow, when the surface is hot, wet, oily or curved, and when the product is continuous, like cable or pipe.
We would rather say this on the page than on the visit. Throw distance and speed are the two defining strengths of continuous inkjet, and a thermal inkjet printer does not match either. A few examples of the cases where we would tell you to keep the Videojet:
- High speed bottle, can or beverage lines. Speed is the constraint and the head cannot sit against a moving container.
- Cable, pipe, tube or extrusion. Continuous product, printed from a distance.
- Awkward mounting. Guarding, geometry or a product that wanders by more than a few millimeters.
- A maintained fleet that works. Trained operators, a spares position, a service plan and a code that scans. Replacing technology that works is a project, not an improvement.
In any of those cases, we are not the supplier for that coder. The fix may be a service call on the printer you have.
What does a Videojet 1000 Line printer cost to keep running?
Keeping a CIJ printer running costs ink and make up solvent, filters and service parts, scheduled service, the labor of start up and shut down, and the production lost when a nozzle blocks. We do not know your costs, and we do not publish figures for any Videojet printer.
What we can do is tell you what to measure. For twelve months, collect the consumable orders, the service invoices, the downtime the coder caused and the time somebody spends on start up, shut down and cleaning. Total them, divide by codes printed and compare the result against a quote for a thermal inkjet printer and its cartridges. Our CIJ printer replacement guide walks through that ownership comparison in detail and says when to keep the machine you have.
The shape of the comparison is predictable. A thermal inkjet printer usually costs less to buy and more per code in consumables. A CIJ printer usually costs more to buy and less per code at volume, plus service. Which side wins depends on volume and on whether anyone is maintaining the system properly.
What changes if you move from a Videojet CIJ printer to thermal inkjet?
Moving from a Videojet CIJ printer to thermal inkjet changes the mounting distance, the ink chemistry, the trigger and the maintenance routine. The data source and print content have to be carried over deliberately. For case and carton coding the physical scope is typically a printer, a bracket and a product sensor.
- Mounting. The head moves from a distance to a few millimeters. A guide rail that holds the pack steady is cheaper than a change of technology, and it often solves the presentation problem.
- Ink. Porous surfaces such as uncoated corrugate take water based ink. Coated cartons, plastics, films and foils need solvent based ink, and a water based ink on them will smear indefinitely. Choose the ink for the substrate and hold it. Our inks carry Marapack part numbers (MPT) and are made to order, so we set up standing pre-season orders.
- The trigger. The printer must know a pack arrived, every time. A badly placed sensor makes faults that look like printer faults.
- The data. If your Videojet takes a date from the line controller or an ERP, decide whether the new printer will do the same, or whether a date typed at shift start is acceptable.
- Maintenance. There is no printhead to clean and no make up solvent, since the printhead is part of the cartridge. What remains is a clean, correctly presented pack and a reliable trigger.
Which thermal inkjet printers does Marapack offer?
Marapack supplies thermal inkjet printers, with the Titan family on half inch printheads under its own label. Configurations run from handheld to stitched multi head arrangements. Other platforms are available on request; ask us.
We do not claim that any of them is a one for one match for a particular Videojet model, because the two technologies are different machines and a model by model equivalence would be invented. What we do is match the printer to your pack, substrate, speed and print content, and tell you plainly when the answer is to keep your CIJ printer.
What is the alternative to a CIJ printer besides thermal inkjet?
Besides thermal inkjet, a plant can use thermal transfer overprinting on flexible film, a print and apply label instead of a direct code, or hot foil coding for small amounts of data. Laser marking and another CIJ printer are also options, but we do not sell them.
A printed label is often the better answer when the variable data includes a barcode that has to be graded and scanned by somebody else's system, because the label surface is controlled. Our print and apply labeling systems are built for that job, and the preventive side of keeping coding and labeling lines running is covered in our preventive maintenance programs.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Videojet 1580 a CIJ printer? Yes. Videojet markets the 1580 as a continuous inkjet printer, as its specification sheet shows. We use the name only to identify the printer you are comparing from, and Videojet's own sheets are the source for its specifications.
Can a thermal inkjet printer replace a Videojet 1520 or 1580? On discrete case, carton, tray and bag coding where the pack can be presented close to the head, often yes. On lines that need long throw distance, the highest speeds or hostile surfaces, no. We say which is which after looking at your line.
Is thermal inkjet faster than the Videojet 1580? No. Continuous inkjet has the higher speed ceiling, and Videojet publishes the 1580's speeds on its own specification sheet. Thermal inkjet offers enough speed for most discrete pack coding, with high resolution and no solvent system.
Do you sell or service Videojet printers? We do not sell Videojet equipment and we are not a Videojet distributor. We make no claim to service their printers, and for any specific system we recommend you ask rather than assume.
What ink does a thermal inkjet printer use instead of the Videojet ink? Our Titan printers use cartridges under Marapack MPT part numbers. Porous surfaces such as uncoated corrugate take water based ink, and non porous surfaces such as coated cartons, plastics and film take solvent based ink in a sealed cartridge.
Will the code look the same as the one from my CIJ printer? Thermal inkjet prints at high resolution, so small text, logos and barcodes print cleanly. The look differs from a character based CIJ code, so print a sample on your own pack and compare it before you commit.
Is it cheaper to run thermal inkjet than a Videojet CIJ printer? It depends on volume. Cost per code is often lower on a CIJ printer at high volume. Total cost has to include service, solvent, filters, downtime and labor, and the total is application specific.
Where do I find Videojet's specifications? On Videojet's own pages, such as the 1580 specification sheet. Specifications change, so use the manufacturer's current sheet.
Test before you replace anything
The hour that settles this decision is the one where somebody prints on your actual pack, at your actual speed, in your actual room, and checks the code an hour later. Ask for it from whoever you buy from. We will walk the line, tell you which coders should be thermal inkjet and which should stay as they are. Request an equipment audit, or call 253-709-5566.