Multi-Pass Inkjet
FJet XL, XL Pro, 24 and RF — high-mix flexibility for moderate-volume production. 400+ systems shipped.
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Compare · Industrial Inkjet
Single-Pass vs Multi-Pass Inkjet
Both remove the tooling. Only one also removes most of the labor. The rate bands, the break-even logic, and why many plants end up running both.
Multi-Pass
The carriage sweeps; the part stays still. Roughly 100–1,000 parts per hour.
Single-Pass
The array is fixed; the part moves once — 50 to 2,000 parts per minute, depending on the object.
400+
Multi-pass systems shipped
100+
Single-pass DTO systems
45,000
Caps per hour, XD-70
< 60 sec
SKU changeover
Both are direct-to-object inkjet. Both print from the artwork file, so both make a changeover a file swap instead of a tooling change. The difference is what sets the speed limit: on a multi-pass system the printhead carriage sweeps back and forth to build the image, so time per part scales with passes and print area. On a single-pass system the part travels once beneath a fixed, full-width array and exits decorated — speed is set by the conveyor. In practice, multi-pass runs roughly 100 to 1,000 parts per hour; single-pass runs production volumes of 50 to 2,000 parts per minute, depending on the object. EPS has shipped 400+ multi-pass and 100+ single-pass systems, and the honest summary is one sentence: multi-pass removes your tooling cost; single-pass removes your tooling cost and most of the labor cost that remains.
The decision in one table
| Your situation | Usual answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Roughly 100–1,000 parts per hour | Multi-pass | The carriage architecture is built for exactly this band |
| Volume above roughly 100,000 parts per SKU per year | Single-pass | Speed is set by the conveyor, not the number of passes |
| Wide SKU mix, short and mid runs | Multi-pass | Quick fixturing and zero-setup file changes across a broad catalog |
| High volume and variable data on the same line | Single-pass | The only architecture that changes both labor levers at once |
| Oversized parts, panels and large print areas | Multi-pass | Print area is limited by the table, not a head array |
| In-line integration with feeding, pretreat and vision | Single-pass | Built as a production line, not a station |
| First digital system / proof of concept | Multi-pass | Lower capital entry; pilot platforms scale the same ink and artwork up |
| Bottles and cylinders at production rate | Either | Multi-pass cylindrical for mix; single-pass cylindrical for volume |
The mechanical difference
That one difference cascades into everything else. A carriage machine needs fewer printheads, costs less, and can grow its print area to table size — the FJet RF handles oversized panels no fixed array could span economically. A single-pass line carries a head array across the full print width, which is more capital — and the reason it reaches rates like 45,000 bottle caps an hour on the XD-70 or up to 5,000 parts an hour on the cylindrical XD-360, with SKU changeover still under 60 seconds.
The two labor levers
Every decoration line pays for labor in two places: changeover — setup, tooling, approvals between jobs — and production speed — how many operator-hours each thousand parts consumes. The tier question is really which levers you need to move.
Multi-pass moves the first lever only
The plates, screens and between-job setup disappear — but a lot of labor stays in the building. The machine is slower per part and usually operator-tended: someone loads it, unloads it and minds it, so the operator-hours baked into every thousand parts barely move. If tooling and setup are what is eating your week, and your volumes sit in the 100-to-1,000 parts per hour band, that is still a good trade at a fraction of the capital — just be clear about which cost it fixes.
Single-pass moves both
The line runs machine-paced instead of operator-paced — feeding, pretreatment, print, cure and off-load in one transit — so the labor content of every thousand parts collapses along with the tooling. When volume per SKU is high — as a working threshold, above roughly 100,000 parts per SKU per year — that labor line is what pays the system back. Below that band, a single-pass array spends its day waiting for parts, which is the most expensive way to own one.
Break-even, in plain terms
The arithmetic we run with prospects has three inputs: your changeover count per week, your volume per SKU, and your target rate. Two patterns fall out of it again and again:
- High mix, moderate volume: one or more multi-pass systems. Each added machine scales capacity in small, affordable steps, and the fleet shares fixtures and files.
- High mix plus a high-volume head: multi-pass for the long tail, single-pass for the runners. MasterCut Tool runs exactly this split across 20,000+ SKUs — multiple multi-pass systems beside a single-pass platform, every job routed by volume and cost, all reading the same artwork files.
That last point removes the fear from the decision: choosing multi-pass first does not strand you. The artwork files, the UV-LED ink chemistry, and the pretreatment approach carry straight up the ladder. The FJet 24 is positioned as exactly that pilot step before an FJet XL, and the XD-LT plays the same role on the single-pass side.
What they share
Everything that makes digital digital is common to both tiers: no plates or screens, variable data down to a serial number per part, CMYK plus white process color with expanded-gamut options, UV-LED curing, and durability that comes from matching ink, substrate and pretreatment as a system. Print quality is not the dividing line — a well-specified multi-pass cell and a single-pass line produce comparably excellent decoration. The dividing line is the clock.
Geometry applies to both
Each tier comes in the three configurations, so the shape of your part never locks you out of a tier: flatbeds for flat and semi-flat parts, cylindrical systems for bottles and tubes on either architecture, and — at the single-pass end — the print engine mounted on a six-axis robot for complex 3D parts at production rate.
Flat & semi-flat
Bottles & cylinders
Cylindrical systems, full 360° wrap
Complex 3D
Print engine on a six-axis robot — see the cell
The answer many plants land on
Multi-pass for the tail, single-pass for the runners
Multi-pass + single-pass · 20,000+ SKUs
Balancing Flexibility and Throughput in High-SKU Plastic Packaging Printing
MasterCut Tool runs more than 20,000 active SKUs, each in its own plastic case, and no two carry the same artwork.
Read the MasterCut case study →
Go deeper
The platforms on each side.
Common questions about single-pass vs multi-pass
Which is faster — single-pass or multi-pass inkjet?
Single-pass, categorically: the part crosses the array once, so line rate is set by the conveyor rather than by sweep count. Depending on the object, single-pass runs production volumes of 50 to 2,000 parts per minute — 45,000 caps per hour on the XD-70, up to 5,000 parts per hour on the cylindrical XD-360. Multi-pass trades that ceiling for lower capital and larger print areas, running roughly 100 to 1,000 parts per hour.
Which costs less?
Multi-pass, on capital — a carriage with fewer heads is simply less machine than a full-width array. But capital is one line of the cost per part; operator time is another, and that is where multi-pass stays expensive: slower cycles, hand-tended stations. Above roughly 100,000 parts per SKU per year, the labor single-pass takes out starts paying back the capital difference. We will run that break-even with your numbers before recommending either.
Is multi-pass print quality lower than single-pass?
No. Both cure the same UV-LED ink chemistries and print full process color; a well-specified multi-pass cell produces decoration comparable to a single-pass line. The tiers divide on throughput and integration depth, not on how the print looks.
Can I start with multi-pass and move to single-pass later?
Yes — that is the normal path. The artwork files, ink approach and pretreatment logic carry straight across, and EPS positions the FJet 24 and XD-LT precisely as pilot platforms ahead of their production siblings. Many plants never fully “move”: they keep multi-pass for the long tail and add single-pass for the runners.
Do both handle variable data?
Yes. Variable data is a property of digital printing itself, not of either architecture — serials, lot codes, UDI marking and personalization run on both. The difference is rate: single-pass applies variable data at full production speed, which is what makes it the direct-offset alternative on high-volume container and cap lines.
Can both print cylindrical parts?
Yes. Multi-pass cylindrical systems — the BottleJet family — rotate the part under a sweeping carriage and suit a wide container mix. The single-pass XD-360 decorates the full 360° in one rotation at up to 5,000 parts per hour. Same geometry answer, different clock, chosen by your volume per SKU.
Bring us your volumes.
Changeovers per week, parts per SKU, target rate — three numbers, and the tier usually picks itself. We build both, so the recommendation follows your arithmetic, not our catalog.