Aplusid

Here’s how you fix it.

When using an ID card printer it is possible for your ribbon to break during the printing process. The result is the ribbon or dye film sticking to your card, which is obviously not what you’re going for. There are two likely culprits for this:

1. The card is slipping on the print roller during the printing process.

So here’s how you fix it. Clean your ID card printer. All printers have recommended cleaning instructions in the manual so that’s a good place to go after you finish reading this. The issue is that your print roller has become dirty and doesn’t grab the cards as well making them slip and get the dye film stuck to them.

How do I clean my ID card printer?

All printers and printer brands have different cleaning guidelines and products so make sure you are cleaning your ID card printer with the correct products. You can find cleaning kits here.  As a rule of thumb, we always recommend cleaning your printer between every ribbon change, however, if you are experiencing this issue we recommend you perform an advanced cleaning where you open your printer and roll the cleaning card directly on the print rollers after you do the normal cleaning.

2. The ID card printer density is too high.

First try cleaning your printer and if that doesn’t solve the issue, the ID card printer is most likely printing at too high of a density. Changing the printing density can be done within the ID card software but we recommend contacting your ID badge supplier to get help as this can be difficult to find in the menu. Note that reducing the density will result in a lighter print.