Royal Dutch Kortho has been serving the coding and marking market for 100 years. The Dutch manufacturer develops printing systems for packaging lines, with product quality, continuity and ease of use at the forefront. During Empack 2026, Kortho won the Innovation Award with the Kortho TI-12, a Thermal Inkjet printer featuring the patented Robocap™ system.

Printing technology for the entire packaging line

Kortho specialises in three printing technologies: Thermal Transfer Printing, Thermal Inkjet (TIJ) and Piezo Inkjet. “With Kortho’s technologies, an entire packaging line can be controlled, from individual products all the way through to pallets,” explains CEO and owner Meindert de Groot.

“Empack really attracts the end users who are looking for our printers,” says Meindert. At Empack, Kortho presents itself as a Dutch manufacturer, showcases its latest developments and meets with existing customers and business relations. As a partner of GS1 Sunrise, the company also advises visitors on upcoming developments and requirements.

Kortho TI-12 stands out as Innovation Award winner

Drying out during periods of downtime is a common problem with cartridge-based printers. This can result in clogged nozzles, poor first prints, ink spills and unnecessary waste. The patented Robocap™ system addresses this issue with an airtight, soft silicone cap that seals the cartridge whenever it is not in use. “You can literally take it off the power supply for months, and it will still produce a perfect first print straight away,” says De Groot.

Because the cap and ink catcher are integrated into the consumable rather than the printer itself, they are replaced automatically every time the cartridge is changed. The printer’s high resolution makes it suitable for printing QR codes and 2D codes in line with the developments surrounding GS1 Sunrise.

The printer is developed and manufactured in the Netherlands. Thanks to its high resolution, the TI-12 is suitable for printing QR codes and 2D codes, among other applications, in line with the developments surrounding GS1 Sunrise.

Innovation Award brings additional visibility

During Empack 2026, the TI-12 was presented to a broad audience for the first time. The innovation was awarded the Innovation Award, which, according to Kortho, generated additional attention for the solution. “Winning the Innovation Award creates a kind of reaction: ‘Well, then it must really be something different from what everyone else is doing.’”

The award also gave visitors an additional reason to discover the printer and the technology behind it. For Kortho, this underlines the value of Empack as a meeting place for manufacturers, end users and professionals from the packaging industry.

Kortho continues to be present at Empack

Kortho has been exhibiting at Empack for many years and continues to use the trade fair to present innovations and engage with the market. Kortho will also be present at Empack 2027 in Brabanthallen ’s-Hertogenbosch and Empack 2028 at Evenementenhal Gorinchem, where the company will showcase its latest developments.