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Troubleshooting Tips for ID Card Printer Issues

No matter what kind of ID card printer you have invested in, you are likely to stumble across some kind of an issue that requires troubleshooting at one point or another. There are a myriad of different reasons as to why a problem might crop up, and many of these reasons are quite easy to repair without the need for third party intervention. A lot of these common card issues can be helped with these printer troubleshooting tips! Remember that you can always seek support from the team at Identity People if you keep experiencing ongoing issues.

 

Have a deep clean

 

Dust buildup can do more harm than you might think! This easily settles in and around your ID card printer, and it doesn’t take long to do it, either. If your printer is not operating as you’d like it to (or at all) then you are likely dealing with a classic case of dust build up. These tiny particles find their way into the nitty gritty of your printer, sneaking into rollers and resulting in card feeder issues. You can easily open up your printer and, using a cleaning kit, make it good as new once more. This is super simple yet amazingly effective.

 

Calibrate your ribbon sensors

 

If your printer has been in rest mode for an extended period of time, you might find that the ribbon sensors are out of step with the rest of the machine. This is easily repaired by calibrating the ribbon sensors, which will fix the problem right away. If your printer is displaying “Error Ribbon” then try calibrating.

 

Store cards properly

 

If your plastic cards are not feeding through your printer system as they should then there might be a static buildup caused by the way in which you store your cards prior to printing. Simply fan out your cards and handle them by gripping at the edges instead of on the flat surface. This is going to minimise and defuse static buildup. They should feed through correctly after fanning.

 

Faded cards

 

Light, faded IDs are an issue. This problem might have occurred due to your printer’s power cord. If you are using a power supply that is not compatible with your printer, you might end up with ghostly looking printed card results. Try to stick to the cord that was provided with your printer instead of using extenders or replacements. If your original cord was broken or misplaced, try reaching out to hunt down a replica.

 

Replace film

 

For those environments that have invested in a retransfer ID card printer, a replacement of the retransfer film might be needed. This is made all the more likely if your printer has been collecting dust and remained unused for a long stretch of time. Film is used to print onto a clear plastic film which is then rolled and adhered onto a card’s surface using thermal technology. This requires replacement film to happen, so it is feasible that if your retransfer printer is not performing as you’d like, the film is the culprit. Replace, and all should run smoothly!

Try these troubleshooting tips to bring your ID card printer back to life!