With correct care and maintenance ID card printers give reliable service for years. Essential to this care is establishing a regular cleaning and maintenance programme. Absorb these tips for the maintenance of ID card printers:
• Put a dust cover over the printer when not in use. Dust accumulations mar printing performance
• Establish a regular cleaning routine, following the manufacturer’s recommendations. Read and adhere to the instruction manual. Have one or two personnel specifically tasked with this maintenance, who become skilled at it
• Recommended frequency of cleaning varies between brands, but most manufacturers suggest changing printer ribbons every 1000 prints, so this is a good opportunity to do the cleaning as well
• There are various cleaning products: cleaning cards, cleaning pens, cleaning kits and maintenance kits. At ID Management Systems we suggest using only the recommended ‘own brand’ cleaning materials for your printer, as some machines can be intolerant of substances meant for others
• Use only the manufacturer’s recommended brand of ribbons and cards. Other, cheaper brands may work temporarily, but can lead to longer-term deterioration of both print quality and printer heads
• Change the ribbon as recommended. Trying to extend use will lead to misprinting and wasted plastic cards
• If an integrated cleaner ribbon is present with the print ribbon, this must be cleaned too
• Ensure ribbons and cleaner kits are correctly installed. Slight misalignment will lead to print streaking, discolouring, and jammed cards
• After cleaning the print heads, use a compressed air spray to remove dust and debris from the printer, to prevent discolouring and card jamming
Proper maintenance prolongs the life of ID card printers.
Tags: ID Card Printers, ID Cards, Plastic Card Printing, plastic cards
