Pittsburgh, PA, June 2006 -- Matthews Marking Products announces the availability of new air-cooled ink jet printheads for its Drop-on-Demand® (DOD) ink-jet, capable of operating in environments where substrates reach 350° F (176° C) at line speeds up to 400 feet per minute (fpm), compared to conventional printheads, which are limited to temperatures of approximately 110°F (43° C).

The air-cooled printheads can be used to produce one to four lines of small or large character (3/32 in.-2.5 in./2.5 mm-64 mm high) permanent marks, including bar codes, graphics, logos and other information directly on textured surfaces, such as vinyl siding, extruded plastics, steel, oriented strand board (OSB) and other building products or any industrial application with high ambient temperatures. Black and different colored inks are available to adhere to a variety of porous and non-porous surfaces.

A jet of cold air inside the printhead continuously cools faceplate and internals. A digital alarm system triggers whenever ambient temperatures exceed the specified capability, if the cooling system fails or air supply is interrupted.

These high-temperature printheads use Matthews proprietary Drop-on-Demand® (DOD) valve ink jet technology, which operates more reliably than continuous ink jet printheads in high-speed industrial processes where there is vibration, dust and other airborne contaminants.

Less maintenance, less downtime and less ink consumption can result in operating cost savings of 25% or more for the high-temperature DOD printheads compared to competing technologies. Matthews new printheads require no make-up solvent to operate and can run from a large-capacity (5-gallon) ink container. A simple weekly wipedown is the only cleanup needed.

For more information on the High-Temp Printhead Upgrade , contact Michelle Spaulding, Matthews Marking Products, 6515 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Telephone (412) 665-2488, fax (412) 365-2042, website: www.matthewsmarking.com .