Coding and marking

Coding and Marking are industrial processes used to apply variable information—such as , , , and other traceability data—onto products, components, and packaging. These practices support regulatory compliance, supply-chain visibility, and consumer communication across sectors including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and electronics.

History

Early product identification relied on mechanical stamping and hot embossing. From the 1970s onward, developments in inkjet enabled non-contact, high-speed codes for automated packaging lines, notably Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) and thermal inkjet (TIJ). Trade coverage throughout the 2000s and 2010s documents the parallel adoption of laser coding and thermal transfer overprinting (TTO) in flexible packaging.

In the 2020s, the standards organization GS1 introduced a global timeline (often called “Sunrise 2027” / “Ambition 2027”) to enable retail and healthcare systems to accept 2D barcodes alongside EAN/UPC by the end of 2027, supported by the GS1 Digital Link standard.

Applications

Product identification – GTINs, serial numbers, internal batch/lot codes.
Regulatory compliance – food safety, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Traceability – end-to-end visibility from manufacture to distribution.
Brand protection – anti-counterfeit and authentication marks.
Consumer engagement – QR-based access to product information via GS1 Digital Link.

Technologies

Continuous inkjet (CIJ)

CIJ creates a continuous stream of droplets; charged drops are electrostatically deflected to form characters. CIJ is widely used for high-speed lines and varied substrates in date and lot coding, with trade sources reporting line speeds up to thousands of characters per second.

Thermal inkjet (TIJ)

TIJ generates droplets by rapid heating of ink in micro-chambers. TIJ is noted for compact form factor and high resolution; limitations include small cartridge volumes and changeover on heavy-duty lines.

Thermal transfer overprinting (TTO)

TTO transfers ink from a ribbon to flexible films using a heated printhead, producing crisp alphanumerics and barcodes for pouches and flow-wraps; printheads and ribbons require periodic replacement.

Laser coding

Laser systems etch, ablate or induce color change on the substrate, creating permanent codes with low consumables; suitability depends on material and capital cost.

Large-character case coding

Large-character inkjet and piezo drop-on-demand systems are used for cases and corrugate, printing shipping marks, handling instructions, and variable text.

Continuous thermal inkjet (CTIJ)

CTIJ is an emerging approach that uses TIJ printheads supplied by an external, continuously fed reservoir to enable uninterrupted operation while retaining TIJ image characteristics. Sector coverage identifies it as a hybrid between cartridge TIJ and production-endurance CIJ.

Environmental and sustainability aspects

Industry reporting highlights solvent reduction, recyclable or refillable cartridges, increased use of permanent laser coding, and line automation to reduce waste.

Market overview

[...] estimates describe a global market spanning CIJ, TIJ, laser and related systems across food, beverage, pharma, cosmetics and industrial sectors.

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