There’s no better choice.
Why PIXL and not QPix?
Pick any organism as small as 0.2 mm. No need to switch pins.
No risk of biological or chemical cross contamination from wash cycles and reusable pins. Pick, cut and continue.
Proven 99.78% transfer efficiency backed up with our report.
| Feature | QPixTM Series | PIXLTM Series |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 3000 cph | 3000 cph |
| AI | Data analysis | Colony detection & morphology classification |
| Minimum colony size for precision picking |
1 mm | 0.2 mm |
| Transfer/Picking efficiency | 95-98% | 99.78% |
| Picking Diverse Organisms |  Organism specific pinheads, otherwise low transfer rates. |
 One PickupLineTM efficient for everything |
| Surface Detection | Once per plate | On every pick |
| Sterile Picking | Wash bath x3, dry, then reuse pin | PickupLineTM tip disposed after each pick |
| Maintenance | Involved (Pin cleaning) | Quick and step-by-step |
| ZOI detection |  |
AI powered |
| MALDI-TOF plate prep |
Not supported | 
|
| Fluorescence |
|
|
Comparative data is based on publicly available manufacturer technical manuals and marketing specifications for the QPix 400 series as of January 2026. PIXL™ performance (0.2 mm precision and 99.78% transfer efficiency) is based on Singer Instruments internal validation protocols. QPix™ is a registered trademark of Molecular Devices, LLC. Individual results may vary based on media and organism type.
Ready to isolate 3,000 colonies/hour?
Reliability vs speed
Precision and consistency is key when automating picking.
Otherwise, it could mean hours of preparation and analysis down the drain.
With unreliable picking you risk:
- Cross contamination due to cell splashing.
- Incorrect colonies being picked.
- Damaged plates and pins.
Read more about the importance of reliable picking below.
Trusted by 100s of labs world wide
“PIXL for us represented a transformative tool that would really simplify our workflow. It allowed us to go directly from agar plate to agar plate at very high density.”
“PIXL has unlocked new capabilities that were previously unattainable…we can now perform high-throughput screening of microbial colonies with unprecedented speed and accuracy.”
“PIXL is a powerful tool to pick colonies and rearrange them in different sources. It is quick, efficient, and has a low risk of contamination.”
“I knew PIXL would be well designed and had confidence in Singer Instruments. We build mutant collections up to 200 000 strong to reach good genetic saturation. We pick them with PIXL and maintain them with ROTOR+”
“PIXL was essential for our microbiology research endeavours…It is trustworthy, sturdy, and gets the job done reliably and fast.”
The exclusion of manual errors saves a lot on downstream reagents and consumables. The [PickupLine] filament is even cheaper than using pipette tips.
“The PIXL increases our throughput (and sanity) by over 8-fold. The colony arrays made by the robot are far superior in quality and reproducibility than anything we could do by hand. “
Features
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