Launching ANA: A New Approach to Printhead Performance and Quality Control
As industrial inkjet continues to advance, the demands placed on print quality—particularly in areas like coding and marking—are becoming more exacting than ever. Against this backdrop, a key theme is emerging across the industry: the need not just to achieve high performance, but to understand, measure, and maintain it over time.
In a recent FuturePrint Podcast, Frazer Chesterman was joined by Edgar Llop and Aliasgar Eranpurwala to discuss the launch of a new technology that aims to address exactly that challenge. At the centre of the conversation was ANA (Automatic Nozzle Test Analyser)—a new diagnostic system being introduced at Interpack.
Developed by People & Technology, ANA represents a shift towards more precise, data-driven assessment of printhead condition. Rather than relying on visual checks or basic testing, the system analyses printed patterns to deliver a detailed evaluation of performance—identifying missing nozzles, droplet deviations, clustering issues, and other factors that can compromise print quality. The result is a comprehensive “map” of how a printhead is truly behaving in operation.
The timing of this launch is significant. As Aliasgar explains, applications such as coding and marking are evolving rapidly, particularly with the transition from traditional barcodes to more complex QR codes driven by GS1 standards. In this environment, even the smallest defect—a single missing pixel—can render a code unusable. What was once considered a relatively low-resolution application now requires a much higher level of precision and consistency.
This increasing complexity is also exposing a broader issue: while printheads are engineered for demanding industrial environments, they are still subject to wear, contamination, and variation over time. Dust, vibration, ink chemistry, and operator handling all play a role. Maintaining consistent performance is therefore not simply a matter of hardware design, but of ongoing monitoring and maintenance.
It is within this context that ANA has been developed. By providing a clear, objective assessment of printhead performance, it allows manufacturers, developers, and operators to move beyond reactive maintenance towards a more predictive approach. Issues can be identified earlier, root causes better understood, and corrective actions taken before quality is compromised in production.
The collaboration between People & Technology and Seiko Instruments underpins this approach. Seiko’s focus on supporting customers across the full lifecycle of their printheads—combined with People & Technology’s expertise in diagnostics and recovery—creates a more complete solution to the challenges faced in the field. Rather than treating printheads as consumables, the emphasis is on extending their usable life while maintaining performance.
This is particularly important when viewed through the lens of total cost of ownership. Printheads represent a significant investment, and the ability to sustain high-quality output over a longer period has clear economic benefits. But beyond cost, there is also a growing recognition that print quality is the result of an entire system—printheads, inks, maintenance processes, and operating conditions all working together.
ANA is designed to sit at the centre of that system, providing the insight needed to understand how those elements interact. By translating complex print behaviour into measurable data, it offers a new level of visibility into a critical part of the production process.
As the industry gathers at Interpack, the launch of ANA highlights a broader shift in mindset. Inkjet is no longer just about capability—it is about control, consistency, and continuous improvement. And as applications become more demanding, tools that enable deeper understanding of performance will play an increasingly important role.
Because in the end, as the conversation makes clear, achieving high print quality is only part of the challenge. The real test is maintaining it—day after day, in real production environments.
The RS1536H Printhead from Printek
