Ribbon breakage is a common issue received by our tech support department. Luckily, it can be easily avoided with routine maintenance.
If your printer ribbon has torn, don’t toss it! Ribbons can usually be salvaged by taping them back together. After taping, however, you will want to take steps to prevent it from happening again.
How to Prevent Your ID Card Printer Ribbon from Breaking
Step 1: Clean and calibrate your printer
The easiest way to prevent torn ID card printer ribbons is to clean your printer regularly. Most printers should be cleaned after every ribbon change. Card printer cleaning kits are available for all printer models. After cleaning the printer and before installing a new ribbon, calibrate the ribbon sensor (if it applies to your printer model). Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and calibrating your printer model.
Step 2: Check your card template
Only reverse transfer printers can print to the edge of a card. If you have a direct-to-card printer, avoid printing too close to the edge of the card as this will cause the ribbon to snap. Check your card design within BadgePro or your ID software program to make sure the margins are set to print within the card boundaries and, if necessary, increase the unprinted border.
Step 3: Restore the default settings
Changing settings in your printer driver can cause the ribbons to overheat. This typically happens when customers want to put more ink on the card in attempt to get darker, richer colors. Restore the driver settings to the default settings to prevent future breakage.
