A method and apparatus for dispensing ink on an object by utilizing an ink dispensing device mounted on a guide rail system so that the device can be freely moved two-dimensionally for dispensing ink at any desirable location on the surface of an object. The activation of the ink dispensing device can be advantageously controlled by either a foot operated switch, a hand operated switch or a voice operated switch. A counter may optionally be used on the apparatus such that the number of times the activation device was activated can be accurately recorded as an indication of defect counts or any other counts.