TIJ (Thermal Inkjet) Printers

TIJ printer is printer based on thermal inkjet technology when the ink is pushing out of nozzles by activating heat. In the coding and marking industry, this type of technology is becoming increasingly popular due to its simplicity and maintenance-free nature. The system is modular and includes a controller, print driver, cables as well as a print cartridge with a print head inside. When you replace a cartridge, you replace the print engine as well.

Thermal industrial printer RNJet H1

Delivering results to challenging marking requirements.

RNJet H1 is the perfect choice for you if:

• The print’s 12.7 mm (1/2″) height is sufficient for your needs
• It is necessary to print at a speed of up to 180 m/min
• A one-second quick drying time is needed
• No mess, no maintenance, and no downtime are required

Thermal industrial printer RNJet H2

Delivering results to challenging marking requirements.

RNJet H2 is the perfect choice for you if:

• The print’s 12.7 mm height with each head
• Perfect for cannabis plastic pouches to illuminate paper labels 
• A one-second quick drying time is needed
• No mess, no maintenance, and no downtime are required

Thermal industrial printer RNJet H4

Delivering results to challenging marking requirements.

RNJet H4 is the perfect choice for you if:

• Print up to 12.7 mm height with each head
• Perfect for cannabis plastic pouches to illuminate paper labels 
• A one-second quick drying time is needed
• No mess, no maintenance, and no downtime are required

TIJ Printer RNJet T1

Delivering results to challenging marking requirements.

RNJet T1 is the right fit for you if:

• The print’s 25 mm (1″) height is required for your needs
• It is necessary to print at a speed of up to 90 m/min (300 dpi)
• A one-second quick drying time is needed
• No mess, no maintenance, and no downtime are required

Thermal industrial printer RNJet T2 ST

Delivering results to challenging marking requirements.

RNJet T2 ST is the perfect choice for you if:

• The print’s 50 mm (2″) height is sufficient for your needs
• It is necessary to print at a speed of up to 90 m/min (300 dpi)
• A one-second quick drying time is needed
• No mess, no maintenance, and no downtime are required

TIJ Printer RNJet T4 ST

Delivering results to challenging marking requirements.

RNJet T4 ST is the right fit for you if:

• The print’s 100 mm (4″) height is required for your needs
• It is necessary to print at a speed of up to 90 m/min (300 dpi)
• A one-second quick drying time is needed
• No mess, no maintenance, and no downtime are required

Thermal industrial printer RNJet T4

Delivering results to challenging marking requirements.

RNJet T4 is the perfect choice for you if:

• The print’s 25.4mm (1″) height with each seperate heads (total 4 heads) which is sufficient for your needs
• It is necessary to print at a speed of up to 90 m/min (300 dpi)
• A one-second quick drying time is needed
• You want to print on plastic films or web printing with multiple heads
• No mess, no maintenance, and no downtime are required

Egg Printer RNJet EP-6H+

Incredible Value, Unprecedented Performance!

The RNJet EP-6H+ is the perfect choice for you if you require printing on eggshells using USDA-approved FDG ink. Additionally, if logo printing is necessary or if you need to print on eggs for breeders, this printer is ideal. With the RNJet EP-6H+, you can enjoy a hassle-free experience as it requires no mess, no maintenance, and no downtime

The TIJ Printer utilizes an innovative thermal inkjet technology, eliminating the need for cumbersome ink tanks and messy refills. The thermal inkjet printing with cartridge’s compact design ensures swift installation and hassle-free maintenance. Simply snap cartridge in, and you’re good to go!

Our specialized Windows-based software comes equipped with a low ink indicator and ink level calculator. When the ink cartridge is inserted in RNJet TIJ printers, RNSoft measures the remaining ink level and lets you know when it’s time to replace , so you can closely monitor each individual color and cartridge, never missing a print.

With RNSoft, handling any marking requirements, big or small, is easy. The software allows up to 100 printers to be connected to one PC simultaneously.

Thermal inkjet (TIJ) printing is one of the most widely adopted non-contact digital printing technologies used in industrial and commercial coding, marking, and product identification. From printing best-before dates on food packaging to serialising pharmaceutical cartons, TIJ delivers crisp, precise marks at production-line speeds with minimal operator intervention. This guide covers everything you need to know about thermal inkjet technology — how it works, where it excels, how it compares with competing technologies, and how to select the right system for your operation. Whether you are a production engineer evaluating your first TIJ installation or a packaging manager reviewing your current setup, this resource will give you the knowledge to make confident decisions.

Understanding the mechanics of thermal inkjet printing helps buyers evaluate performance claims and troubleshoot operational issues. The process centres on a printhead containing hundreds of microscopic resistive heating elements arranged in precise columns and rows.

When a print command is issued, the printer’s electronics send rapid electrical pulses to selected resistors within the printhead. Each resistor heats almost instantaneously — typically reaching temperatures between 300 °C and 400 °C within a few microseconds. This sudden heat superheats a tiny volume of ink directly adjacent to the resistor, causing the ink to vaporise and form a rapidly expanding steam bubble.

The expanding bubble forces ink through a corresponding nozzle orifice, ejecting a droplet onto the substrate. As the bubble collapses, it creates a back-pressure that draws fresh ink from the reservoir into the firing chamber, ready for the next firing cycle. This entire sequence — heat, vaporise, eject, refill — happens thousands of times per second.

Modern TIJ printheads integrate the nozzle plate, firing chambers, resistors, and ink channels into a single compact cartridge. Most designs use silicon substrates with photolithographically etched features, allowing extremely high nozzle density and tight drop-placement accuracy. Nozzle diameters typically range from 20 to 50 micrometres, controlling drop size and therefore print resolution.

Heat build-up is an inherent challenge in TIJ systems. Sustained printing raises both the printhead and ink temperatures, which can alter ink viscosity and affect drop formation. Premium TIJ printers incorporate thermal sensors and adaptive firing algorithms that modulate pulse widths in real time to compensate — ensuring consistent print quality even during extended production runs.

Variable Data Printing (VDP)

TIJ excels at printing data that changes from product to product or batch to batch — expiry dates, lot numbers, serial numbers, weights, and prices. Because TIJ is a fully digital, non-contact process, every print can be different with no tooling changes, stencils, or print-cylinder revisions. This makes it the natural choice for any operation where regulatory compliance, traceability, or consumer information requires unique or frequently changing printed content.

Date and Batch Coding

Date coding — best-before, use-by, manufacture date — is the most universal TIJ application. TIJ printers integrate with production line PLCs and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to auto-update date fields, eliminating manual entry errors that can cause costly product recalls.

Barcode and 2D Code Printing

Linear (1D) barcodes such as Code 128, EAN-13, ITF-14, and GS1-128 are well within TIJ’s capability at 300 dpi. Two-dimensional codes — Data Matrix, QR Code, PDF417 — require 600 dpi for reliable scanning and are well-served by modern TIJ systems. TIJ barcode output consistently achieves ISO/IEC 15416 verification grades suitable for retail and logistics scanning environments.

Logo, Graphic, and Brand Printing

Unlike laser coders or dot-matrix printers, TIJ can reproduce brand logos, promotional graphics, and multi-line formatted text blocks. This allows manufacturers to consolidate product information, brand elements, and compliance coding into a single print station, reducing the number of separate print systems required on a line.

Pharmaceutical Serialisation

Item-level serialisation requires printing a unique 2D code — typically a GS1 DataMatrix — on each individual pack. TIJ at 600 dpi is the established technology for this application, with validated performance across major pharmaceutical packaging lines. Integration with track-and-trace software enables full aggregation from unit to pallet level.

Addressing and Mailing

Direct mail operations use TIJ arrays to print full postal addresses, barcodes, and personalised content directly onto envelopes and mailers at speeds exceeding 20,000 pieces per hour. The high resolution and consistent quality of TIJ meet postal authority print quality requirements for automated sortation.

Piezoelectric (piezo) inkjet is the other major drop-on-demand inkjet technology. Piezo systems use mechanical deformation of a piezoelectric crystal — rather than heat — to generate pressure waves that eject ink droplets. The distinction matters for buyers because the two technologies have different strengths, ink compatibility profiles, and maintenance models.

Step 1: Define Your Print Content Requirements

Start with the content you need to print. Consider: the smallest character height required, whether 2D barcodes are needed, whether logos or graphics are required, and the maximum number of lines to be printed. This exercise will establish your minimum resolution requirement and the print height the system must accommodate.

Step 2: Characterise Your Substrate

Identify the material and surface finish of the substrate to be printed. Distinguish between porous (corrugated, paper), semi-porous (coated paper), and non-porous (plastics, metals, glass) surfaces. This narrows your ink chemistry selection and identifies systems with validated substrate compatibility. Request ink adhesion and durability test results from shortlisted suppliers.

Step 3: Establish Your Line Parameters

Document your production line’s operating characteristics: maximum and minimum substrate speed, available mounting space and throw distance, ambient temperature and humidity range, and any environmental factors such as dust, moisture, or vibration. These parameters determine whether a standard TIJ system will function correctly or whether ruggedised or specialist mounting solutions are needed.

Step 4: Evaluate Integration Requirements

Determine how print data will be supplied to the printer. Will the printer be standalone (operator enters data at the printer)? Or does it need to receive data automatically from an ERP, MES, or vision inspection system? Confirm the communication protocols and integration software provided by each supplier. Request integration documentation and reference site contacts if available.

Step 5: Calculate Total Cost of Ownership

Build a TCO model for each shortlisted system using your actual print layout and estimated cartridge yield from the supplier. Include capital cost, consumables, maintenance, integration costs, and a downtime cost estimate based on mean time between failures and mean time to repair data provided by the supplier. Normalise costs over a 3-year or 5-year horizon for comparison.

Step 6: Request a Production Trial

Shortlist two or three systems and arrange production trials at your facility. Evaluate: print quality against your minimum specification, cartridge yield against supplier estimate, ease of operation and cartridge change, integration stability, and any substrate or environmental issues. Gather feedback from operators who will run the system daily — their practical assessment of usability is invaluable.

Step 7: Evaluate Supplier Support

The quality of after-sales support significantly affects the long-term satisfaction of TIJ ownership. Evaluate: response time commitments for emergency support, availability of local field engineers, availability and cost of spare parts, software update policy, and the supplier’s industry experience and reference base in your sector.