Designed for success

Coderequirements should be considered as well and can vary greatly from producer to producer. For products where lot and traceability information are required, Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) and laser printers are a viable solution, whereas if brands require more content, TTO adds more flexibility.

An additional coding requirement for many food product manufacturers is the need to print ingredient information. Meeting this coding need, TTO is capable of wide format, on-demand printing of fine text for nutritional, ingredient and allergen statements. This helps ensure producers can meet the minimum labeling requirements of the food industry globally, and can also help reduce the number of pre-printed packaging film SKU’s held in stock.

TTO printers also provide 300 dpi (12 dots/mm) print quality - making them a great option for printing high quality text or graphics that do not detract from the packaging design.

Technological advances add even greater value

The latestTTO models on the market today have incorporated advanced technology to further improve the value added to food manufacturing lines. Videojet’s iAssure technology, for example, provides intelligent code assurance to customers through image capture, comparison and analysis. A built-in sensor, lens and light source create an image of the printed TTO ribbon waste as the ribbon indexes to the next print. The image is then processed in real-time, with multiple algorithms automatically checking the printed image compared to the intended image.

Images are then compared and areas of mismatch between the printed image and the intended image are evaluated with sophisticated algorithms that examine for common defects such as image darkness, misalignment, ribbon crease and other common defects which could produce poor print quality to determine the pass/fail of the print.

iAssure can reduce waste and rework time and is able to leverage image capture technology and analysis to catch significant recurring print defects, ensuring only the finest quality codes make it through to the retail supply chain.

Quality is everything where packaging design is concerned as it is this element that inspires confidence in the product within. By taking coding and marking quality into consideration in the design process, brands can be 100% certain that they have closed the door to a potential and avoidable weak link.

Videojet Technologies is a world-leader in the product identification market, providing in-line printing, coding and marking products, application specific fluids and product life cycle services.

Arthur Smith
Global Marketing Manager, Videojet Technologies