CIJ stands for continuous inkjet, a non-contact printing method used to apply date codes, batch numbers, barcodes and traceability data onto products as they move along a production line. It is the most widely used industrial coding technology in the world because it prints fast, marks almost any surface, and keeps running in the wet, dusty and high-vibration conditions where other methods struggle. This guide explains what continuous inkjet is, how it works, where it is the right choice and where it is not, and which Domino coder fits which job.
What does CIJ stand for?
CIJ is short for continuous inkjet. The name describes how it works: the printer fires a continuous stream of ink droplets, charges and steers the ones it needs to form each character, and recirculates the rest. It is sometimes just called inkjet coding or date coding, but “continuous inkjet” distinguishes it from thermal inkjet (TIJ), which works differently. If you have seen a best-before date on a drinks can or a batch code on a cable, it was very likely applied by a CIJ printer.
How does continuous inkjet printing work?
A continuous inkjet printer pumps ink under pressure through a microscopic nozzle, which breaks the stream into hundreds of thousands of uniform droplets per second. Each droplet is given an electric charge, then passed through an electric field that deflects its path so it lands in the right place to build up a character. The droplets that are not needed for the code are caught in a gutter and recirculated back into the system, which is what makes the process efficient and continuous. Because the printhead never touches the product, it can mark items that are moving quickly, oddly shaped, or fragile, without contact or pressure.
What are the advantages and limits of CIJ?
The strengths of continuous inkjet are speed, flexibility and durability. It keeps pace with the fastest lines, running at thousands of products per minute. As a non-contact method it prints clearly on flat, curved, smooth or textured surfaces, and on glass, plastic, metal and cardboard alike. And it is a mature technology, proven over decades in demanding industrial settings, so it is dependable.
It is not the right answer for everything, and it is fair to be plain about the trade-offs. CIJ uses ink and a make-up solvent that are ongoing running costs. It needs routine cleaning and maintenance to keep the nozzle clear, though modern printers automate most of that. And while its codes are perfectly legible for dates, batch numbers and standard barcodes, its resolution is lower than thermal inkjet or laser, so it is less suited to very dense, high-detail codes. Knowing where those limits bite is the difference between a coder that earns its keep and one that fights the application.
CIJ vs thermal inkjet, laser and thermal transfer: which coder do you need?
The honest way to choose is to match the technology to the substrate, the code and the line, not to pick a favourite. Here is how the four main methods compare.
Continuous inkjet (CIJ) is the all-rounder. Choose it when you print onto a wide range of materials and shapes, run at high speed, or work in a wet or dusty environment. It is the default for cans, bottles, cables, pipes and primary packaging. Sirap supplies this as the Domino Ax-Series.
Thermal inkjet (TIJ) trades some substrate flexibility for higher resolution, which makes it the better choice for crisp, high-density barcodes, 2D data-matrix codes and GS1 codes onto porous and coated surfaces such as cartons. If your priority is sharp machine-readable codes rather than marking awkward materials, look at the Domino Gx-Series TIJ.
Laser coding marks the product permanently with no ink or consumables, which suits permanent traceability and tamper-evident codes, though the substrate has to react to the laser and the codes cannot be changed once applied. It is covered in our guide to CO2 laser coding and supplied as the Domino Dx-Series.
Thermal transfer overprinting (TTO) prints high-resolution codes onto flexible films and labels, so it is the method for flow-wrap, pouches and label stock rather than rigid products. Sirap supplies this as the Domino Vx-Series TTO.
In short: CIJ for variety, speed and harsh conditions; TIJ for high-resolution barcodes on cartons; laser for permanent, consumable-free marking; TTO for films and labels. Most plants run more than one. If you are not sure which your line needs, that is exactly the conversation to have with us before you buy, and our wider industrial coding and traceability page sets out the full range.
Why does Domino lead on continuous inkjet?
Domino has pioneered CIJ for more than 40 years, and the Ax-Series is where that experience shows. The core of it is the i-Pulse printhead and ink system, which controls the formation of every individual droplet precisely. In practice that means more accurate droplets, consistently legible codes, more efficient ink use and less of the maintenance that drags down lesser systems. The build matters as much as the printing. The Ax-Series is made to survive the plant floor: models like the Ax550i use a marine-grade 316 stainless steel cabinet with an IP66 rating, so the unit is dust-tight and can take the high-pressure water jets of a washdown without being removed. For a food or beverage plant, where a daily washdown is routine and a line stop is expensive, that rating is not a luxury. A coder that has to be taken off the line before every clean is a coder that causes downtime; one that stays in place protects the line’s overall equipment effectiveness and keeps production moving.Where does CIJ fit for Maltese manufacturers?
The flexibility of the Ax-Series makes it the workhorse for Malta’s main production sectors. In food and beverage production, the Ax-Series prints crisp best-before dates onto cold, wet glass bottles straight off the filling line, and codes retort cans that will go through heat and steam sterilisation, using thermochromic inks that change colour to confirm the process ran. In industrial manufacturing, the Ax350i extrusion printer marks high-contrast batch numbers and specifications directly onto extruded PVC pipe, automotive parts and cable, with inks formulated to resist abrasion, chemicals and long-term exposure so the code lasts the life of the product. In pharmaceuticals, CIJ applies lot numbers and expiry dates directly onto primary packaging such as curved glass vials and plastic bottles, where the Ax-Series precision and the range of GMP-compliant inks keep traceability intact at the individual-unit level.Can a coder be grant-funded in Malta?
Sometimes, yes. For a Malta-based SME, a new coding and traceability line can fall within the digitalisation investment that Malta Enterprise schemes are designed to support, provided you apply before you commit to the purchase, which is the one rule that disqualifies most applicants. Our guide to Malta Enterprise grants for coding and labelling explains how the schemes work and how to keep an application valid, and we can provide the itemised quotation an application needs.Guides: choosing the right coder
Not sure which technology or model your line needs? These guides walk through it.- Coding and marking technologies compared: CIJ, TIJ, thermal transfer and laser, and which suits your substrate and codes.
- Which Domino coder is right for your line? Mapping the Domino range to your application.
- Domino Ax-Series CIJ printers
- What is thermal inkjet (TIJ)?
- What is CO2 laser coding?
- GS1 2D QR codes and Sunrise 2027: what is changing on retail packaging.
- Direct case and pallet printing: when to drop pre-printed boxes.
- Malta Enterprise grants for coding and labelling.
