Mailing Systems Technology - September/October 2008 - (Page 28) Operations Inkjet? than older solvent-based binary array printers — some up to 70% less — which translates to more production time. Piezo Drop-On-Demand (DOD) With Piezo DOD, ink is only jetted when required (hence Drop On Demand). Piezo DOD technology utilizes piezo-electric material to generate droplets of ink. Piezo material consists of lead, zirconium and titanium (PZT); when a voltage is applied to the material, it bends or shrinks. That causes a wave pulse to form, which results in an ink droplet being expelled from the printhead. Piezo DOD uses oil-based, solvent-based and UV-curable inks, providing a range of solutions for various substrates. Piezo DOD also features high resolution printing at respectable speeds — 520 dpi x 316 dpi, for example, and linear print speed up to 950 feet per minute. Piezo DOD requires minimal maintenance and is quite capable of printing the IMB, as well as all the other major symbologies, including linear and 2D. Thermal Inkjet (TIJ) Thermal Inkjet is another form of drop on demand inkjet technology. Tiny resistors create heat, and this heat vaporizes ink to create a bubble. As the bubble expands, some of the ink is pushed out of a nozzle onto the substrate. When the bubble “pops” or collapses, a vacuum is created. This pulls more ink into the printhead from the cartridge. TIJ technology can now be found throughout the mailing and addressing marketplace, providing a cost-effective, low-maintenance, reliable method for printing targeted marketing and other direct mail pieces. The inks are aqueous, as the TIJ process requires boiling to expel ink. Recent developments have led to inks with more solvent-like characteristics that deliver reduced dry times on glossy What’s New With Exciting developments and improvements in the inkjet printing world By Scott Linger Have you heard about the new inkjet printer that is capable of printing 500,000 pieces per hour, at 600 dpi, with a printhead-to-product throw distance of a half-inch, can print onto ANY substrate and requires no maintenance? Well, it hasn’t quite been developed yet. However, there are some new and exciting developments and improvements going on in the inkjet printing world. Binary Array Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) With Binary Array CIJ, ink is pressurized and charged to emit drops; ink continuously circulates through the system (hence continuous inkjet). Binary Array CIJ consists of 256 separate jets, creating a “curtain” of ink, which provides a vertical print window of two inches or more. The latest generations of binary array inkjet printers have advanced in their linear print speed, start-up efficiency and reduced maintenance requirements. Some print from 100 feet per minute up to 3,100 feet per minute. These printers feature both aqueous and solvent-based inks; the solvent-based printers are able to produce high-speed addressing on glossy stock. Print resolution is typically 170 dpi x 100 dpi to 170 dpi x 240 dpi, so this technology is very capable of printing the USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode, as well as most other linear and 2D symbologies, including Datamatrix and QR Code. The latest generation of binary array inkjet printers offer other improvements, such as a smaller printhead, which requires less space for mounting and significantly less maintenance 28 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 | WWW.MAILINGSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGY.COM http://www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com
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