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Choosing the right printing technology for your inkjet printers: HP vs LX

Photo by Weber Marking Systems GmbH

When it comes to choosing a printing technology for your inkjet printers, there is not right or wrong answer. and thus adapt to the customer’s needs, satisfying quality, regulatory and flexibility standards.

Inkjet printers are integrated within industrial production lines, such as in the food and pharmaceutical industries, to identify primary and secondary packaging. Best before dates, ingredients, data matrix codes and logos can be printed on different surfaces, at diverse heights and at a different resolution according to the choice of marking technologies.

In this article, we dive into the world of HP Class and LX Class, two leading inkjet cartridges providers that constitute great solutions for industrial marking and printing, while presenting different characteristics and advantages.

HP Class vs LX Class: A comparison

Maintenance free

In order to ensure a safer and cleaner production line, the HP Class and LX Class cartridges work with a printhead technology where both are exchanged simultaneously. This means that with each new cartridge, there is a new printhead. As a result, HP and LX are maintenance-free and guarantee a consistent typeface quality.

Resolution

Print quality is always a concern for producers. A high quality resolution is essential so that the consumer can be informed about the product contains. Both LX and HP cartridges ensure high-resolution printing:

Moreover, the LX Class cartridges offer a one-of-a-kind resolution:

  • It can print barcodes up to 240 m/min at 300 dpi, reaching up to 400 m/min with Dual Channel.
  • LX uses ink cartridges and thermo inkjets and prints with a resolution of up to 900 dpi, resulting in extremely brilliant print images

In terms of resolution, LX Class allows a higher resolution than HP, resulting in a greater printing quality.

Printing height / Distance to the product

Printing height is usually an issue in production lines, since labeling and coding systems need to reach the exact position of the product to be able to mark it.

In terms of printing height, HP and LX are slightly different.

On one hand, HP printheads are able to print at a height of max 12.55 to 100 mm, with a distance of printhead to product surface ranging from 0.5 to 5mm on porous and non-porous surfaces depending on the ink type.

On the other hand, LX printheads can print at a height of 12,7 to 100 mm, having a distance of up to 10 mm from printhead to product surface. In addition, LX printheads can print on convex and concave surfaces.

Both cartridges can manage diverse printheads simultaneously and print on different sides of a packaging (e.g. top, side) or in different production lines. The LX Class even allows printing on the bottom side of the product.

Cost-effective solutions

The HP and LX cartridges are a great choice when it comes to cost-effectiveness. Being maintenance-free and thanks to the fact that each cartridge is a new printhead, these technologies ensure low operating costs, immediate response and uninterrupted operation.

Moreover, both HP and LX cartridges are easy to install: the former has 3 different printhead types available whereas the latter enables 2 different printhead types.

Printing layout and parameters

LX Class cartridges store meaningful data for printing such as ink type, manufacturer and ink content. As a result, it can be automatically set to recognize the correct ink, detecting ink filling levels and notifying its replacement to avoid time losses.

The HP Class offers similar advantages through its SmartCard feature, which recognizes ink levels and notifies the controller so that the printing process is not stopped.

Inkjet Technologies | Weber Marking Solutions

As already said, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to choosing inkjet printing technologies. Rather, there are advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered in order to achieve production goals, volumes and flexibility.

Coding solutions are cost-effective and reliable. Weber Marking Systems has a wide portfolio of thermal and piezoelectric Markoprint inkjet printers that are compatible with up to five printing technologies: HP, Seiko, Funai, Trident and Xaar.

For more information, please visit: https://www.weber-marking.com/blog/