HP, a leading provider of thermal inkjet technology for specialty printing and packaging, has completed 40 years since its inception. In an exclusive interaction with Indian Printer and Publisher, Kristy Sheng, regional manager for Specialty Printing Technology Solutions (SPTS) for HP in the Asia-Pacific region, shared insights on the development and adoption of this technology in the global markets and India.
Amid a rise in counterfeit pharma and food products in both the Indian and global markets, thermal inkjet’s relevance has increased significantly. According to Sheng, India is an important market for the Asia-Pacific region with a special emphasis on pharma products. Anti-counterfeit technology and live tracking of products have become more important now than ever as the consequences of consuming fake products could be severe.
Thermal inkjet technology enables several printing applications, especially those that meet coding and marking regulatory requirements in pharmaceutical and food packaging — playing a vital role in track-and-trace solutions. In contrast to conventional inkjet, thermal inkjet is quicker in drying. There is relative ease in the cleaning of printheads. HP does not provide track-and-trace solutions but becomes a critical enabler through this technology.
“India is a big player in the global pharmaceutical industry,” says Sheng, “A significant number of medicines being sold in the US and UK are manufactured and supplied from India. Regulatory bodies started enforcing pharma track-and-trace solutions more than a decade ago, wherein using GS-1 code (barcodes) is a must. Also after the Covid-19 pandemic, the regulations have become stricter than before.”
Thermal inkjet enables high-resolution barcode printing at phenomenal speed, she said. The integrated design of HP’s thermal inkjet printhead makes it very easy to install, maintain, and use. Because of the rise in counterfeit products in the market, transparency in the supply chain becomes important. Thermal inkjet technology provides efficiency, optimization, productivity, and cost-effectiveness to prevent and detect counterfeit products.”
“Packaging manufacturers can leverage thermal inkjet technology with its ability to utilize GMP-compliant solvent inks, in addition to aqueous inks capable of delivering high-resolution 2D barcodes, QR codes, and other data metrics and text, onto treated and untreated substrates,” she said. “The specialty printed applications can meet constantly evolving and progressively more stringent regulatory requirements for track and trace capabilities.”
Thermal inkjet technology can help packaging manufacturers meet sustainability goals in numerous ways. According to her, throughout the printing process, there is zero wear and tear to moving parts, which results in minimal maintenance. Thermal inkjet technology, unlike inkjet and continuous inkjet technology, does not work by using a constant flow of ink droplets. Also, when the print cartridge is replaced, the printer automatically has a new print head resulting in cleaner printing, when compared to inkjet or continuous inkjet printing, Sheng explains.
Continuous inkjet printing produces excessive aerosol by constant ink droplets, which can harm workers on packaging manufacturing lines. Since thermal inkjet doesn’t produce excessive aerosol, it is relatively safer. Thermal inkjet printing is sharp and high-quality, resulting in fewer batch or lot number recalls due to insufficient print quality and less wastage.
As many brands increasingly seek new ways to engage with consumers, personalization helps add value and increase relevance with packaging, she said. With the help of digital printing technologies, personalization is more feasible and easier to achieve.
“The market for printing solutions for personalized products is likely to explode in the near future to meet consumers’ increased demands. HP is well-placed to offer reliable solutions with its extensive investment and committed to producing thermal inkjet technology, capable of meeting this demand,” Sheng concludes.
