Thermal inkjet (TIJ) printers and piezoelectric inkjet (PIJ) printers are two common inkjet printing technologies, each with its own unique working principles, application scenarios, and technical characteristics. Understanding the differences between the two will help companies and users choose the most appropriate printing solution. The following will explore the differences between the two in depth from multiple aspects.
1. Working Principle
1.1 TIJ Printer
TIJ printers use thermal inkjet technology. When working, the heating element in the print head quickly heats the ink to form bubbles. The instantaneous expansion of the bubble pushes the ink to the nozzle, and the ink is ejected onto the printing medium through the tiny nozzle hole. The advantage of this technology is that its structure is relatively simple and suitable for large-scale production.
1.2 PIJ Printer
PIJ printers use the characteristics of piezoelectric materials to deform when voltage is applied, thereby ejecting ink. The nozzles of each nozzle can be controlled independently, which makes PIJ printers perform well in printing high-precision, high-quality images. The flexibility of PIJ technology enables it to handle more complex printing tasks, such as precise mixing of multiple colors.
2. Ink Type
2.1 TIJ Ink
TIJ printers usually use water-based ink or UV ink. Water-based ink is suitable for absorbent materials such as paper, and has good environmental protection and color vividness. However, its adhesion on some non-absorbent surfaces (such as plastic) is weak, which limits its scope of application. UV ink can be printed on a variety of surfaces and dries quickly, making it suitable for applications that require immediate use.
2.2 PIJ ink
PIJ printers support a variety of ink types, including solvent inks, UV inks, and hot melt inks. Solvent inks have better weather resistance and adhesion, making them suitable for outdoor applications; UV inks can achieve high-quality printing on a variety of materials and dry quickly. The flexibility of PIJ ink makes it more adaptable and can be effectively printed on a variety of materials such as metal, plastic, and glass.
3. Print quality and speed
3.1 Print quality
TIJ printers: They can usually achieve a print resolution of 600-1200 DPI, suitable for high-quality text and image printing. Their printing effect is particularly good on small labels and logos, but may be slightly insufficient when printing complex graphics and high-detail images.
PIJ printers: They can achieve higher printing accuracy, especially in the fields of art printing and photography, usually reaching more than 1200 DPI, and can accurately reproduce details and colors, suitable for applications that require high-quality visual effects.
3.2 Printing speed
TIJ printer: The printing speed can reach 1-14 square meters/h, which is suitable for fast production needs, such as large-scale label and packaging printing.
PIJ printer: The speed is relatively slow, usually when printing with high precision, suitable for low to medium batches of high-quality output, especially when detailed images are required, the speed tends to decrease.
4. Application scenarios
4.1 TIJ printer application
Labels and packaging: TIJ printers are widely used in label and packaging printing in industries such as food and beverages, and can quickly and clearly print production dates, expiration dates and barcodes.
Advertising and publicity: Suitable for short-run printing and small-batch production, able to respond quickly to market changes, and provide flexible printing solutions for the advertising industry.
Document printing: In office environments, TIJ printers are often used to print documents and graphics to meet daily office needs.
4.2 PIJ printer application
High-end printing: PIJ printers perform particularly well in the printing of artworks, photographs and high-quality images, and can meet the needs of customers with extremely high requirements for color and detail.
Industrial Identification: PIJ printers are widely used in industrial identification and parts marking, and can provide accurate product traceability information during the production process.
Ceramics and Textiles: In ceramic and textile printing, PIJ printers can achieve complex patterns and high-quality printing to meet the needs of fashion and home products.
5. Cost and Maintenance
5.1 Cost
TIJ printers: The equipment and ink costs are relatively low, suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and individual users, especially when they need to respond flexibly to market changes.
PIJ printers: The equipment costs are relatively high and are usually used for large-scale industrial production, but the long-term use costs are relatively low, and better economic benefits can be achieved through efficient production processes.
5.2 Maintenance
TIJ printers: Maintenance is relatively simple, but nozzle clogging is more common, and regular cleaning and maintenance are required to maintain print quality.
PIJ printers: Maintenance requirements are high, and the nozzle cleaning and replacement frequency is high, especially when working under high load, regular inspections are required to ensure the best printing effect.
6. Environmental protection
6.1 TIJ environmental protection
The water-based ink used by TIJ printers is relatively environmentally friendly and has a low content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which is suitable for industries with high environmental protection requirements, such as the food and pharmaceutical industries.
6.2 PIJ environmental protection
PIJ uses a wide variety of inks, and some solvent inks may contain high VOCs and are relatively less environmentally friendly. However, with technological advances, more and more PIJ printers are beginning to use environmentally friendly inks to meet the market's demand for sustainable development.
Conclusion
TIJ printers and PIJ printers each have unique advantages and application scenarios. TIJ printers are suitable for fast and efficient printing needs, especially in the field of labels and packaging; while PIJ printers are more suitable for high-quality and high-precision image printing, and are widely used in the industrial and artistic fields. According to specific needs, users can choose the most suitable printing technology to achieve the best printing effect and efficiency. When choosing, understanding their respective characteristics and applicable scenarios will help optimize the production process, reduce costs, and improve overall competitiveness.
CONTACT US
LEAVE US A MESSAGE
If you have any questions about our products or services, feel free to reach out to customer service team. Provide unique experiences for everyone involved with a brand. We've got preferential price and best-quality products for you.
Recommended