Why Legacy Continuous Inkjet Printers Struggle in the Protein Packaging Industry — And How TIJ Offers a Cleaner, Smarter Alternative

Continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers have been a mainstay in protein packaging plants for decades. They’re rugged, can run at high speeds, and can print on a wide variety of materials. You’ll see them integrated with thermoformers, baggers, flow-wrappers, and conveyors.

But, as many plant managers already know, in today’s protein packaging environment, those same legacy CIJ systems are showing their age. Between harsh plant conditions, growing sustainability demands, rising maintenance costs, and print quality limitations, the drawbacks are starting to outweigh the benefits.

Let’s look at some key and why thermal inkjet (TIJ) technology is becoming a compelling alternative.

Harsh Environments

Protein processing facilities are tough on coding systems. They are:

CIJ systems constantly measure the ink viscosity and try to compensate with additive addition and sometimes heating elements in the printer body. However, heaters add complexity, and it can still take the printer a while to compensate for temperature changes.

Environmental and Sustainability Concerns

CIJ printers rely on solvent-based inks (usually based on MEK or acetone) and aggressive solvent cleaners. These come with real-world consequences:

• Air Quality & VOCs: Solvents used in both operation and cleaning release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the plant atmosphere, raising occupational health concerns and sometimes triggering additional ventilation requirements.
• Hazardous Storage: Inks and cleaners must be stored in compliance with chemical handling regulations, adding complexity and cost.
• Waste & Disposal: The fluids used with CIJ printers must be disposed of as hazardous waste, increasing a facility’s environmental footprint and disposal costs.

Maintenance Headaches

While they’re running, CIJ printers can be great – but If you’ve managed CIJ printers in a protein plant, you’ll recognize these issues:

• Frequent Cleaning: Nozzles, deflector plates and ink lines need constant attention to prevent clogs — especially in cold, humid environments.
• Messy Ink Spills: Maintenance often means inky gloves, sticky floors, and risk of contamination in sensitive food areas.
• Costly Core Replacements: Many newer CIJ systems require replacing the entire print core (pump, filters, ink system) as one unit rather than being able to replace individual components, driving up costs.
• Service Plan Dependence: Keeping machines running often requires expensive OEM service contracts, as proprietary parts (especially the main core) lock you into the manufacturer’s ecosystem.

Print Quality Limitations

CIJ printing is often fine for simple date codes and lot numbers, but modern coding requirements are raising the bar.

• Low Resolution: CIJ printheads typically print at 60–80 DPI, making them a low-resolution technology. This is generally sufficient for basic product date coding, but when higher-resolution graphics or barcodes are required, this technology often cannot meet the necessary quality standards.
• Not GS1 2D Ready: As the industry moves toward GS1 Digital Link and 2D barcodes for traceability, many CIJ systems can’t produce high-density codes reliably, due to the low print resolution of the technology.
• Ink Color Flexibility: CIJ printers are essentially locked to one ink color per printer. Switching colors isn’t practical—in most cases, it’s not even offered—because it requires the printer to be pulled from the line, completely flushed and prepped for another ink. For operations needing multiple colors, the only real solution is to purchase an additional printer dedicated to each color. Printing on dark colored film, pigmented yellow and (especially) white inks are more difficult to run than standard black ink. This can lead to machine modifications and additional maintenance.

The Hidden Costs of CIJ

When you add it all up, the “cheap to run” reputation of CIJ is not always deserved:

In many plants, the true total cost of ownership offsets the deceptively low cost-per-print.

TIJ: A Cleaner, Smarter Alternative for Protein Packaging

Thermal inkjet (TIJ) printing has matured dramatically in the past decade, especially with the range of inks that are available. In many protein packaging applications, it can now outperform legacy CIJ:

Final Thoughts

In a protein packaging plant, printers have to survive cold, wet, and unforgiving conditions. While legacy CIJ printers once met that challenge, the combination of sustainability pressures, traceability requirements, and high maintenance costs is making them less viable.

The modern, more sustainable solution is the German-engineered and built range of thermal inkjet (TIJ) printers from Automated Marking, Inc.

Designed for the most demanding environments (including environmental protection up to IP65), these compact, simple-to-use printers are an ideal replacement for outdated, legacy CIJ printers.

For many companies, the move to thermal inkjet is not just about improving print quality — it’s about creating a cleaner, safer, and more cost-efficient operation.

If your CIJ printer is costing you more in downtime, solvent handling, and service calls than you’d like to admit, it might be time to put TIJ from AMI on your equipment short list.