What is CIJ (Continuous Inkjet)?

Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) is one of the most widely used technologies for high-speed variable data coding on production lines — batch numbers, expiry dates and short codes on bottles, cans, cartons, cables and pipes.

How CIJ works

Unlike drop-on-demand systems, CIJ never stops jetting while it is running. A pump forces ink through a nozzle, and the stream breaks into a continuous line of uniform droplets. Each droplet that is needed for a character is given an electrical charge and deflected by a high-voltage field onto the product. Droplets that are not needed are caught by a gutter and recirculated back to the ink system.

Because the droplets travel through the air, CIJ prints without touching the product, a few millimetres from the surface — which is why it handles curved, uneven and fast-moving surfaces so well.

Where CIJ fits best

• Very high line speeds.
• Curved or irregular surfaces: bottles, cans, cables, pipes.
• Short variable text: batch, lot, date and time codes.
• Industries such as FMCG, beverage, food, cable and wire, and pipes.

What CIJ costs to run

CIJ has three consumables, and they behave differently:

• Ink is used in proportion to the characters printed. Its cost per month = monthly characters ÷ supplier-rated characters per litre × price per litre.
• Make-up (solvent) fluid evaporates with running time, whether the printer is printing or idling. Its cost = running hours ÷ supplier-rated hours per bottle × bottle price.
• Filters and cleaning fluid are periodic.

On the calculator's default CIJ example (20,000 prints a day, 15 characters, 12 running hours), ink costs ₹501 a month but make-up costs ₹4,550 — the solvent, not the ink, is the main consumable cost. Make-up consumption is the hidden cost buyers most often underestimate on CIJ.

Limitations

• Ongoing solvent consumption and periodic nozzle, filter and ink-system maintenance.
• Print quality is lower than TIJ or piezo for fine graphics and small, dense barcodes.
• Running with old or contaminated ink, or ignoring make-up top-ups, causes viscosity drift and print faults.

When not to use CIJ

Consider TIJ or piezo when solvent-free operation is required, or when you need high-resolution graphics, logos or small barcodes at low to medium speed.

Use the CIJ running cost calculator to work out ink, make-up and total cost per print at your own volume, or compare CIJ against other technologies in the TCO Wizard.