B80 and B85 wide format handheld CIJ inkjet printers, which one to choose?

Wide format or large character handheld printers are extremely useful and widely applied in many industries to meet demands such as box labeling, floor display, advertising, packaging, etc. As a professional company that specialized in handheld inkjet printers for over 10 years, BENTSAI also produces wide format handheld printers.

As you may already know, there are 2 different models under our wide format CIJ handheld inkjet printer series, that is B80 and B85. They look the same in appearance, do you know how to differentiate them and how to choose the most suitable one between the two printers? This article will solve the puzzle for you.

 

What’s the difference between B80 and B85 wide format handheld printers?

The table below will show you the specification and main features of B80 and B85 handheld CIJ inkjet printers. From the table we can see that the difference between B80 and B85 handheld printers mainly lies in ink type, supported printing surfaces, the refillable ink and we will go through this one by one.

 

Model Name	B80	B85
Price	$1,899	$2,199
Printer Type	Inkjet printer
Ink Type	Water-based ink	Water-based ink & solvent based ink
Is the ink refillable?	Yes	Only water based ink is refillable
Product Dimensions	9.4"x7.2"x4.6"
Product Weight	1.25kg
Print Head	4 print heads, up to 25mm for each; Each ink can work independently or together
Nozzle Height	2.5mm-100mm
Spraying Distance	2-5mm
Printing Speed	10m/min
Printing Resolution	300DPI
Internal Storage	8GB
Battery Capacity	6000mAh
Variable Database Printing	Yes
Use in Production Line	Yes
Printing Content	Texts, numbers, barcode, QR code, logo, pictures, date, time, counters, variable data printing
Applicable Printing Surfaces	Porous materials: wood, fabric, paper, carton box, cardboard, plasterboard, fiberboard, cement wall, etc.	Porous materials: wood, fabric, paper, carton box, cardboard, plasterboard, fiberboard, cement wall, etc. Non-porous materials: plastic, PVC, PE, PET, glass, ceramics, acrylic, metal, aluminum foil, concrete, etc.
Packing List	- B80 wide format handheld inkjet printer - 4 packs of black EB21B ink cartridge (4*42ml) - 2 sets of HFE-2000 black refill ink kit (8*28ml) - 1 pc of positioning bracket - Power adapter and cable - Qualified certificate - Instruction Manual	- B85 wide format handheld inkjet printer - 4 packs of black EB21B ink cartridge (4*42ml) - 1 pc of positioning bracket - Power adapter and cable - Qualified certificate - Instruction Manual

 

● Ink Type

B80 printer can only work with water based inks.

B85 printer can either work with water based inks or solvent based inks.

For B85 handheld printer, using different types of ink will lead to different kinds of supported printing materials.

 

● Supported Printing Materials

B80 and B85 handheld printers are made for different printing scenarios, therefore the materials and surfaces the two printers can print on are slightly different.

B80 printer uses a water based ink, so it can only print on porous (water-absorbing) surfaces such as wood, fabric, paper, carton box, cardboard, plasterboard, fiberboard, cement wall, etc.

However, as the upgrade of B80, B85 can either use a water based ink or solvent based fast dry ink. When using the water based ink, the materials that B85 can print on is the same as B80. When the solvent ink is used, you can nearly print on any surfaces including the non-porous and semi porous materials such as plastic, PVC, PE, PET, glass, aluminum foil, metal, concrete and many more.

 

● Refillable or not?

Another worth mentioning difference is that the water based ink for B80 and B85 printer can be refilled, while the solvent ink for B85 cannot. Moreover, when ordering B80 printer, in addition to 4 packs of 42ml black EB21B ink cartridges that come as default, the package will also come with 2 extra sets of HFE-2000 black refill ink kit for free, that is 8 packs of 28ml refill ink in total. In other words, you will receive 4*42ml plus 8*28ml = 392ml ink in total.

This is extremely economical and can save customers a lot more especially for companies that have large printing needs because you no longer need to buy a brand new set of cartridges.

Check this video on how to refill the EB21B ink cartridge:

 

 

How to choose between B80 and B85 wide format handheld printer?

As mentioned in the previous section, B80 and B85 use different types of ink and therefore are suitable for different materials.

Model Name	B80	B85
Applicable Printing Surfaces	Porous materials: wood, fabric, paper, carton box, cardboard, plasterboard, fiberboard, cement wall, etc.	Porous materials: wood, fabric, paper, carton box, cardboard, plasterboard, fiberboard, cement wall, etc. Non-porous materials: plastic, PVC, PE, PET, glass, ceramics, acrylic, metal, aluminum foil, concrete, etc.

If all you need to print on is porous surfaces like wood, carton box, fabric, etc., and you can foresee that you will not need to print on any non-porous materials in the next 2-3 years, then B80 can totally do the work for you and can save more costs.

However, let’s say now you only need to print on water absorbing surfaces but you’re not certain whether you need to print on any non-porous materials in the near future, then we would suggest you to add $300 to buy the B85 to save the hassles.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is it possible to use one ink cartridge into the B80 or B85 printer for printing one line of characters 25mm high? I sometimes want to print 100mm and sometimes only 25mm.

A1: Absolutely yes. Though B80 and B85 handheld printers have 4 ink slots, that doesn’t mean you need to insert all 4 cartridges to make the printer work. The printer can still print even you only insert one cartridge, but please note that the maximum height of one ink nozzle is 25mm.

 

Q2: What do you mean by “variable database printing” in the product specification and description？

A2: Variable database printing means you can print variable and unique texts, numbers, QR code or barcode from a local file without stopping to edit setting on the printer after each print.

 

Q3: Can the solvent ink for B85 handheld printer survive under extreme hot temperature outdoor?

A3: Based on our test, the ink will become faded over time when keep exposing under direct sunlight and extreme hot temperature. For the best performance, we do not recommend to use the printer this way.

 

BENTSAI - Your one stop printing solution

If you have further questions or are looking for printing solutions for your business, please feel free to contact us by the following ways.

Email: support@bentsaishop.com

WhatsApp: +86 189 2809 7992

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bentsaishop/

 

 

---