If you are ordering a replacement printhead, the model name your printer was sold under is the least reliable piece of information you have. Resellers rename machines, OEMs relabel heads, and a print bar that has been rebuilt twice may be running something quite different from what the original spec sheet says. The head itself, however, still carries the answer — stamped on the label, in a code Xaar has used consistently for more than a decade.
This guide shows you how to read that code, narrow your head down to a single variant, and give us enough information to confirm an exact match before you pay for anything.
Step 1 — Read the part number on the head label
Every genuine XAAR printhead carries a small label on the body with a factory part number in the form XP followed by eight or nine digits. That number, not the marketing name, is what identifies a head. Two heads sold as “Xaar 1003” can be different products — one for oil-based ceramic ink, one for UV — and only the part number separates them.
| Part number | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| XP10100156 | Xaar 1003 GS6C — 6 pL native, oil-based ceramic ink |
| XP10100157 | Xaar 1003 GS12C — 12 pL native, oil-based ceramic ink |
| XP10100180 | Xaar 1003 GS40C — 40 pL native, heavy laydown, ceramic |
| XP10100159 | Xaar 1003 GS6U — 6 pL native, UV / universal inks |
| XP10100165 | Xaar 1003 GS12U — 12 pL native, UV / universal inks |
| XP10100126 | Xaar 1002 GS40C — previous generation, 40 pL, ceramic |
| XP20010002 | Xaar 2001+ GS12C — 2,000 nozzles, 720 npi |
| XP20020003 / XP20020006 | Xaar 2002 Plus / Advanced GS12 |
| XP20020007 | Xaar 2002 Advanced GS40 |
| XP50200002 / XP50200003 | Xaar 502 GS15 O / GS15 OR — oil-based, coding & marking |
Heads from the same generation share prefixes, so a partial number is not enough. The 1002 and 1003 both begin XP1010 while being entirely different heads, and the 2001+ and 2002 both begin XP200. Always match the complete number.
Step 2 — Decode the GS code: the number is the native drop size
On ceramic and industrial Xaar heads, the letters GS are followed by a number that tells you the native drop volume in picolitres, and that number is the single biggest driver of what the head is good at:
- GS6 — 6 pL native, variable range 6–42 pL. The fine-detail variant: sharp definition, small text, fine grain.
- GS12 — 12 pL native, variable range 12–84 pL. The balanced workhorse, and by far the most common choice for ceramic tile decoration.
- GS40 — 40 pL native, variable range 40–160 pL. Heavy laydown: opaque whites, strong solid colour, special effects.
If your head is marked GS15 O, it is not a ceramic head at all: that is the oil-based Xaar 502 family, a 500-nozzle coding-and-marking head with a 15–75 pL range and six grey levels, used for barcodes, batch codes and expiry dates as well as wide-format graphics.
Step 3 — The suffix letter tells you which ink the head can take
This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that costs money. The letter at the end of the GS code sets the ink family:
- C — oil-based ceramic inks. Standard for tile and slab decoration.
- U — UV-curable and universal solvent inks.
The C and U versions of the same drop size are not interchangeable. Ink-path materials, seals and nozzle-plate treatment differ between them, which is why a GS12C and a GS12U sit as separate part numbers. Fitting the wrong one can damage a new head in a matter of days.
Grey level counts also differ between the two: the ceramic (C) versions of the 1003 run 7 grey levels on GS6C and GS12C and 5 on the heavy-laydown GS40C, while the UV-capable (U) versions run 8, 8 and 5. If a quotation shows the same grey-level figure for both, the quotation is a template, not a match.
Step 4 — Cross-check the geometry
If the label is unreadable, the head’s physical dimensions and nozzle geometry still identify the platform. Measure the nozzle rows and the body, and compare:
| Platform | Nozzles | Print swathe | Resolution | Drop range | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xaar 502 | 500 (1 row) | 70.5 mm | 180 npi | 15–75 pL | Coding & marking, wide-format oil |
| Xaar 1002 | 1,000 (2 rows) | 70.5 mm | 360 npi | 40 pL+ (GS40C) | Ceramic, glass, legacy lines |
| Xaar 1003 | 1,000 (2 rows) | 70.5 mm | 360 npi | 6–42 / 12–84 / 40–160 pL | Ceramic tile and slab, glass |
| Xaar 1201 | 1,280 (4 rows) | 27 mm | 600 npi | 2.5 pL native | Wide-format graphics, textile |
| Xaar 2001+ | 2,000 (4 rows) | 70.5 mm | 720 npi single colour | 12–84 pL (GS12C) | High-resolution ceramic |
| Xaar 2002 | 2,000 (4 rows) | 70.5 mm | 720 npi single colour | 6 / 12 / 40 pL XaarDOT | Flagship ceramic and industrial |
Two shortcuts are worth knowing. The 1201 is unmistakable — its 27 mm swathe is roughly a third of the ceramic heads, because it uses Xaar’s Thin Film Piezo silicon MEMS actuator rather than the Hybrid Side Shooter architecture. And the 502 is the only slim one: 104 × 17 × 113 mm at 208 g, against 132 × 50 × 105 mm for the 2001+ and 2002.
Geometry also tells you what will physically fit. The 1003 is mechanically and electrically compatible with the 1001 and 1002 print bars, so it drops straight into older ceramic lines; the 2001+ shares the 70.5 mm swathe and print-bar mechanics of the 1003, and the 2002 is backward compatible with 2001+ machines. That is why upgrades on these platforms are usually a head swap rather than a rebuild.
What to send us for a confirmed match
To confirm a head without guesswork we need three things:
- Your printer make and model — including the print bar position if you are replacing one head out of several.
- The complete part number from the label, or a clear photo of the label if it is worn.
- The ink you run — oil-based ceramic, UV-curable, solvent or aqueous, plus the colour if it is a special channel (white, gloss, grit, varnish).
Send those to our team and we will confirm the exact variant, flag it if the printer has been modified since it was built, and quote bulk pricing if you are stocking spares.
FAQ
Can I fit a GS12 in place of a GS6?
Physically yes, on the same platform — but not as a straight swap. The waveform and ink circuit are set up around the native drop size, so a change of drop class needs the waveform, voltage and print mode revisited. Confirm with the printer builder before substituting.
Is a Xaar 1003 a drop-in replacement for a 1002?
On a 1002 print bar, yes — the 1003 is backward compatible with the 1001 and 1002, and normally keeps the existing controller and ink system. It is the standard performance upgrade path for older ceramic lines.
How do I know a head is genuine?
Genuine heads arrive with a factory part number, an individual serial number and the head’s electrical data. We ship 100% original units, QC tested, and can supply the head ID, voltage and waveform information with the order. See the full XAAR printhead range for specifications by model.
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