Kyocera's latest KJ4A-EX1200-RC is UV-ink compatible with 1200dpi resolution, offering both high-resolution printing and high productivity printing for labels and many other applications. The KJ4 printead series is very popular with leading manufacturers.
Kyocera's new KJ4A-EX1200-RC printhead recirculates UV inks at the printhead
Kyocera Corporation has developed a new inkjet printhead with ink recirculation technology at the nozzle. Available in May 2025, the KJ4A-EX1200-RC (hereinafter "printhead"), offers both high-resolution printing and high productivity through Kyocera's unique flow channel design technology. It supports a wide range of applications, including labels, and is compat Development Background
Digital printing offers the advantage of immediate, customizable printing in any quantity while reducing environmental impact by 
Kyocera's cooling recirculation prevents blockageseliminating the liquid waste that occurs in plate-cleaning processes. As a result, the demand for digital printing, including inkjet printing, is rapidly expanding from traditional paper media into new applications such as textiles, labels, food-grade packaging, and building materials.
As these applications of inkjet printhead expand, the diversification of ink is increasing. In addition to increased speed, high-resolution images, and high durability, there is a need for a printhead that can handle a wide variety of inks. In the label printing market, in particular, emphasis has been placed on fine printing for a wide variety of languages and fine printing details such as smooth gradation. The amounts of droplets need to be optimized to achieve both high-resolution and high density, and print speeds need to continue to increase.
The robust design of Kyocera's printhead allows stable, continuous printing to enhance productivity in industrial printing operations. As a result, Kyocera will lead the digitalization of the printing industry by reducing operator workload, enhancing labor efficiency, and improving environmental impact.
Features
1. Ink recirculation at the nozzle enables stable printing.
Kyocera's unique technology recirculates ink around the nozzle and enables stable printing by controlling the temperature uniformly and suppressing sedimentation of ink components. These features allow stable printing with various kinds of inks while reducing routine maintenance, such as printhead cleaning when rebooting a printer. In addition, a water-cooling system*2 is the standard specification for this product, and the water-cooling mechanism equalizes the head temperature to ensure continuous printing with stable print quality compatible with UV ink.
2. High-resolution of 1200dpi and improved print speed and drive frequency for optimized productivity.
In addition to the resolution increase to 1200 dpi, the drive frequency and print speed have also been improved compared to Kyocera's 600 dpi printhead. The new model optimizes both high-resolution and productivity to meet the demands of the label market.
3. High print quality, through Kyocera's monolithic piezo actuator
Kyocera has developed a large monolithic piezoelectric actuator, using proprietary material design technology for dense polycrystalline ceramic actuators, and manufacturing technology for thin piezoelectric ceramic substrates. Kyocera introduced this piezo actuator (width:116mm x depth: 34mm x thickness: 0.04mm) in a 1200 dpi printhead with UV ink. By using a large monolithic piezoelectric actuator, the printhead provides uniform images and higher print quality.
Through its advanced technologies, Kyocera aims to expand the possibilities of digital printing and contribute to the sustainability of the global printing industry.
