Direct Impression Addressing Printers

Fixed Head vs. Shuttle Head Inkjet Addressing Printers

MAILwaukee offers a wide variety of fixed head addressing systems as well as several shuttle head models. The right printer for you depends largely on your application, budget and perhaps personal preference. If you aren’t familiar with the difference between these two printing technologies, see the explanation below.

Fixed Head Printer Technology: Fixed head printers use stationary print heads in one or more “banks.” The print heads must be manually positioned to line up with the desired print location(s) on your mail piece. Fixed head printers offer the fastest production speeds because the print heads do not need to move in order to address the mail.

Shuttle Head Printer Technology: Shuttle head printers work almost exactly like a business or home inkjet printer, except they are designed and optimized specifically to print on mailable media at high speeds. The print heads in these systems shuttle back and forth horizontally across the mailpiece during the printing process. Shuttle head systems are slower, but can print virtually anywhere on your envelope or post card in a single pass.

Conclusion: If you only anticipate the need to print addresses, barcodes and message lines or you need to process production volumes of mail, then a fixed head system will provide more performance for your money. If you process low to medium volumes and have a routine need to print a variety of data on your mail pieces, a shuttle head system may be a better bet – especially in multiple user environments.

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Hasler Printers

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