The disclosure concerns an applicator (e.g. print head) for applying a coating agent (e.g. paint) to a component (e.g. motor vehicle body component), having a nozzle chamber with a plurality of nozzles for dispensing the coating agent in the form of continuous jets or droplets, the coating agent flowing during operation through the nozzle chamber to the nozzles so that the nozzle chamber is filled with the coating agent during operation. The print head further comprises a plurality of slidable valve needles associated with the individual nozzles and selectively opening or closing the respective nozzle depending on the position of the valve needles. Furthermore, the print head according to the disclosure contains an actuator chamber for receiving actuators for displacing the valve needles. In addition, the applicator according to the disclosure has a sealing element which fluidically separates the actuator chamber from the nozzle chamber in order to avoid contamination of the actuator chamber with the coating agent in the nozzle chamber. The disclosure provides that the sealing element is designed such that the individual valve needles can be displaced independently of one another without a displacement of one of the valve needles impairing the opening and closing of the nozzles at the adjacent valve needle.