Abstract: A ribbon-type multi-conductor cable is fed beneath a source of ink drops while maintaining a predetermined orientation of the cable. Ink drops from the source are positioned along the moving cable so that a series of characters is printed on the broad side of the cable closer to one edge of the cable than the other edge. This off-center positioning allows each individual conductor in the cable to be identified by its position relative to the marking. In a second embodiment, the ink drops are positioned in the central area of a composite of two side-by-side connected ribbon-type cables so that two series of characters are simultaneously printed, one series on each of the two component cables parallel to each other but with opposite orientation. The composite cable is then cut lengthwise between the two series of characters resulting in two separately marked cables.