Patent ID: 7758173

Claim:
A printing machine comprising: a material supply module for supplying marking material for placing marks on an object, said material supply module adapted to expel marking material contained in a collapsible package having an information-bearing tag, said material supply module including a reader for obtaining information from the information-bearing tag, a package inlet for receiving the collapsible package, the package inlet being sized to receive one package at a time, a package opening actuator configured to cause the collapsible package to open, and at least one hopper, contained within the material supply module, for receiving the marking material expelled from the package in accordance with collapse thereof; and a marking device module configured to receive the marking material from said at least one hopper and to cause the marks to be placed on the object, wherein a first path, including the package inlet, is provided for the collapsible package to enter the material supply module and a second path is provided for the object to move relative to the marking device module, the second path being different from the first path and not including the package inlet.