(November 10, 2008) Toronto-based Maplejet, the North & South American and European sales and marketing arm of the Sorveh Group, will be launching its ProDigit 53 printer - for online coding and marking, at booth E-5714 during PackExpo, November 9-13, in Chicago, IL. The ProDigit 53 is based on the new Xaar 382 printhead and its flexibility and ease of use can be seen during PackExpo with live printing demonstrations.

The ProDigit 53 completes the ProDigit family of printers, developed to print on a carton box, container, bottle, or even on the product itself. The 2 inch print height and the ability of the ProDigit 53 to print onto both porous and nonporous substrates, bridges the gap between the ProDigit 18 using a Xaar 128 printhead (0.7" porous & non porous) and the ProDigit 70, using a Xaar 500 printhead (2.75" porous only) printers. All ProDigit coding & marking printers are based on high resolution piezo drop on demand technology, delivering very high quality text, images and barcodes with a low cost of ownership. An optional wireless capability will be demonstrated for the first time, allowing a single PC to communicate with multiple ProDigit controllers. Users can design a message on a PC and upload it to as many controllers as available. However, USB connectivity is also provided for those who prefer not to use wireless.

Key to the success of the ProDigit 53 is the performance, versatility and reliability of the Xaar 382 printhead. These machines operate in demanding and dusty environments and it is critical that the printheads keep working with minimum maintenance. The drive electronics of the Xaar 382 are similar to the Xaar 500 printhead, making it perfect for users who want a printer with a narrower swathe than that provided by the Xaar 500 printhead, but larger than two Xaar 128 printheads. Converters can print a 2-inch barcode without having to 'stitch' heads. However, if desired, the ProDigit 53 controller will also be capable of driving two Xaar 382 printheads so that, when 'stitched' together, the print area is 106mm (approximately 4") high.

"The Xaar printhead is ideal for nearly all coding and marking applications. The printhead unit is lightweight and very cost effective. The architecture of the new Xaar 382 printhead makes everything around it simple. Like some other Xaar printheads-such as the Xaar 128-it's a gravity-fed system with no moving parts, requiring no pump. There's a single inlet and outlet-just one way for ink to enter and leave-so the filling of the printhead is simple to set up. Thus, there's low cost of ownership with a low initial cost," comments Chris Coyne, MapleJet VP, Sales and Marketing.