Keep Your Matthews Evolution TIJ Line Running
Matthews Marking retired the Evolution HP thermal inkjet line and dropped its HP OEM license — its own Evolution website now forwards every page, parts included, to a different printer. But your printers didn’t stop working, and they still need ink, cartridges, and the occasional part.
You’re not stuck. TIJ Print Solutions and its qualified distributors keep Evolution printers coding every shift, with the inks, parts and programming to run today, and a supported path forward when you’re ready to move. No rip-and-replace, no scramble.
Also sold as the Digital Design Evolution or Matthews DDI Evolution — DDI is Digital Design, Inc., which built the line before Matthews. Same printers, same cartridges, same aftermarket.
Talk to us about your Evolution lineDon’t take our word for it
Run our ink on your own line, on your own product. Tell us your printer and what you’re coding onto, and the cartridge is on us.
Shipping is worked out with you when we talk.
What TPS supplies for Evolution printers
Everything the OEM stopped selling, backed by a supplier that knows this hardware and delivered through qualified distributors:
- Replacement inks in the same HP cartridge formats your Evolution already runs
- Carriage driver boards and pogo boards to keep the electronics alive
- Pogo pins / contact pins for reliable cartridge contact
- Printhead module rebuilds: the parts to rebuild on site, or the head rebuilt by TPS
- In-house cartridge programming — one of the very few ink suppliers who does it for the Evolution aftermarket
- A path onto the current Anser line when you’re ready — matched to what your line needs, on your timeline, not forced
Replacement inks for Evolution & HP TIJ printers
Our EV HP ink line drops straight into the cartridge formats your Evolution printer already uses:
- Water-based inks — HP 45 / 45A cartridges for porous substrates like cardboard, kraft, and cartons
- Solvent inks — HP 45si and HP 45A cartridges for fast-drying, durable codes on non-porous plastics, films, and foils
Available in black, white, yellow, red, blue, and green, so you can match date/lot codes to the substrate and the read requirement. Not sure which ink your line needs? Send us your printer model and substrate and we’ll match it.
Browse our EV HP inksCross-reference: TPS inks ↔ Evolution / OEM parts
Find the Evolution / OEM part number you order today and read across for the TPS ink that replaces it.
Swipe the table sideways for the ink and cartridge-series columns.
| TPS SKU | Evolution / OEM part # it replaces | Ink | HP 45 / 45si series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porous — water-based | |||
| 11-WBI | 4500BK | Black, Standard (Water-Based) | HP 45 / 45A |
| 22-WBI | 4510BK | Black, Semi-Porous (Water-Based) | HP 45 / 45A |
| 15-WYI | 4500YW | Yellow (Water-Based) | HP 45 / 45A |
| 15-WRI | 4500RD | Red (Water-Based) | HP 45 / 45A |
| 15-WBI | 4500BL | Blue (Water-Based) | HP 45 / 45A |
| 15-WGI | 4500GR | Green (Water-Based) | HP 45 / 45A |
| Non-porous — solvent | |||
| 44-SBI | 4700BK | Black Solvent (Non-Porous) | HP 45A |
| 33-SBI | 4711BK | Black Solvent (Non-Porous) | HP 45si |
| 66-SBI | 4722BK | Black Premium Solvent (Non-Porous) | HP 45si |
| 60-SWI | 4720WH | White Solvent (Non-Porous) | HP 45si |
| 60-SYI | 4711YW | Yellow Solvent (Non-Porous) | HP 45si |
Don’t see your part number? Send it to us with your printer model and we’ll match it to the right ink.
Printhead faults: repair at board level
A faint, patchy or intermittent code can be an electrical-contact problem, not a dead printhead. Replacing the whole printhead isn’t the only option. TPS supplies the parts to repair one instead, through qualified distributors, so the fault can be worked down the chain rather than replacing the entire assembly.
Where to start
- 1
Contact or electrical fault — Work it in order: pogo pins first, then the carriage pogo board, then the carriage driver board.
- 2
Rebuilding it yourself — The same three parts, supplied through your distributor. Suits a plant with a maintenance tech, or anyone who would rather not ship a printhead out.
- 3
Or TPS rebuilds it — Your distributor arranges for the printhead to come to TPS. Suits a site with no in-house capability, or a fault past board level.
- 4
Beyond recovery — A replacement printhead module. We can source or rebuild EV printhead modules.
Steps 1 and 2 are the same parts — the only difference is who does the work.
The contact path, part by part
Pogo Pin Set for EV Printhead Modules (Pack of 10)
HW-PIN-001
Pogo Board for EV
HW-POGO-EV01
Printhead Carriage Driver Board for EV
HW-DRV-EV01
Printhead rebuilds: two routes
TPS can source and rebuild EV printhead modules. There are two ways to run it, both through your distributor, and the right one depends on what you have on site:
Rebuild it on site
Your team rebuilds the printhead with the same pins, pogo board and driver board listed above, supplied through your distributor.
TPS rebuilds it
Your distributor arranges for the printhead to come to TPS, for a site with no in-house capability or a fault beyond board level.
Tell us your model first
Evolution hardware varies by printer and by printhead technology, so we confirm the exact part before anything ships, and connect you with a qualified distributor. Tell us which printer you run, which printhead is in it, and what the fault looks like. Every situation is different, so we set expectations with you case by case. If we don’t have what you need, we’ll say so.
In-house cartridge programming for the Evolution aftermarket
When print quality slips on an Evolution printer, the cartridge is one of the first things to check. TPS is one of the very few ink suppliers that programs cartridges as an aftermarket for the Matthews DDI Evolution line — on custom-built equipment that optimizes each cartridge for use in Evolution printers, and every cartridge is QC’d for electronic-contact stability before it ships. That’s how we supply custom-programmed cartridges for hardware the OEM has walked away from.
When you’re ready: the right setup for your line
There’s no pressure to replace anything today. And when you do move off obsolete hardware, there isn’t one right replacement — one printer configuration doesn’t fit every application. It comes down to what matters most on your line:
- Lowest up-front costAnser Smart Printhead — runs from your own Android phone or tablet, or a browser — no controller to buy. The trade-off: no screen on the line.
- Lowest cost with a screen on the lineAnser A1 — an all-in-one printer with a 5" touchscreen.
- Lowest running cost at volumeAnser X1 Lite with the 1" 160 mL cartridge — the longest runs and fewest changeovers.
- Tough environment, or two linesAnser X1 — IP66-rated controller housing; drives two printheads.
Tell us which matters most and we’ll help you plan the switch when it makes sense for your line, with a qualified distributor keeping your Evolution running until then.
Note: the Anser line uses Anser printheads and Odyssey inks — it doesn’t run Evolution equipment or EV inks. Two separate systems; we support both.
Why TPS for Evolution support
- We know this hardware: inks, parts and in-house programming, not just “sorry, it’s obsolete.”
- One supplier for the Evolution aftermarket today and the Anser replacement tomorrow.
- An Anser OEM partner with our own Odyssey ink line and in-house cartridge programming.
Evolution TIJ — FAQ
Is the Matthews Evolution discontinued?
Yes. Matthews retired the Evolution HP TIJ line and dropped its HP OEM license — its own Evolution website now forwards every page, parts included, to a different printer. The printers still in the field keep running; they just need an aftermarket supply, which TPS provides through qualified distributors.
What does DDI mean, and is the Digital Design Evolution the same printer?
DDI is Digital Design, Inc. — the company that built the Evolution line before Matthews. “Matthews DDI Evolution,” “Digital Design Evolution,” and “Matthews Evolution” all refer to the same installed base, so if you own any of them, the same TPS inks, parts, and cartridge programming apply.
Can I still get ink for my Evolution printer?
Yes. Our EV HP inks come in the HP 45 / 45A and HP 45si cartridge formats your Evolution uses — water-based inks for porous substrates and solvent inks for non-porous — in black plus white, yellow, red, blue, and green.
What ink does the Evolution printer use?
Water-based inks for porous substrates and solvent inks for non-porous, in HP 45 / 45A and HP 45si cartridge formats. Send us your substrate and we’ll match the ink.
Do you carry Evolution parts like board sets or pogo pins?
Yes — driver board sets and pogo pins / contact pins to keep the hardware running. Tell us your model and symptom.
What replaces the Matthews Evolution?
There isn’t one answer — it depends on what matters most on your line. The Anser Smart Printhead has the lowest up-front cost and runs from a phone, tablet or browser with no controller to buy; the A1 is the lowest-cost option with a touchscreen on the line; the X1 Lite with the 160 mL cartridge has the lowest running cost at volume; and the X1 suits tough environments or two lines. You don’t have to switch to keep coding today: Evolution inks, parts and programming are available now through qualified distributors.
Do you program cartridges?
Yes — programmed in-house on custom-built equipment that optimizes them for Evolution printers, and QC’d for electronic-contact stability before they ship. We’re one of the very few ink suppliers doing this for the Evolution aftermarket.
Keep your Evolution line running — talk to us
Send us your printer model, substrate, and what you’re running low on. We’ll match the ink, parts or programming you need and connect you with a qualified distributor.