One of the reasons our customers like working with ID Edge is because much of our phone support is free, even if you didn’t purchase your printer from us. We know how frustrating it can be when a printer isn’t working correctly, and how unnecessary fees for phone support can prevent you from seeking expert help, which can lead you to accidentally damage your printer. So if you’re ever facing a printer that’s not working properly, just give us a call, and the ID Edge team will do our very best to resolve the problem over the phone.
Dirty Printers – They’re More Common Than You Think!
When it comes to service calls, the most common issues have to do with improper printer maintenance. For example, let’s consider card jams. Sometimes, cards may jam because you’ve purchased cheap, poor quality ID cards, and they’re dimensions are slightly off. Or, sometimes a printer will have a small glitch. But if your cards jam regularly, it’s very likely to be a cleaning issue…
Why? Because with every card you print, a small amount of ribbon residue gets left behind. It builds up inside the printer, and even a small amount can affect the rollers. Dust is another factor that can make your ID printer go haywire. Now, you may think that dust can’t really get inside, because printer mechanisms are only exposed to air when you’re changing the ribbon, but dust has many ways of making it inside.
One such “dust avenue” is through the ID cards themselves, which inevitably carry small dust and dirt particles through the machine. That’s why it’s imperative to keep your ID cards in the packaging as long as possible before use.
But what happens once the residue has built up and the printer now needs to be cleaned…?
How to Clean Your ID Card Printer
There are several ways you can clean your ID printer, which will depend on the specific printer model you have. Let’s look at a few common methods.
- Cleaning Cards: Some printers have self-cleaning capability that utilizes special cards. These cards look just like a regular PVC or composite ID card, but they’ve been pretreated with a special solution. This solution cleans the rollers by helping to break down the residue buildup. However, you can’t just put the card through a regular print cycle – you have to use a special self cleaning setting before inserting the card. Also, make sure the card is moist! If the cleaning card dried out, you can seriously damage the printer!
- Cleaning Rollers: To help reduce the amount of dust and debris that enters the printer, some ID printer models (like many Zebra models) are equipped with cleaning rollers. These are a wonderful innovation that comes in contact with the blank ID card BEFORE it is printed. As the card moves across the surface of the cleaning roller, the roller picks up microscopic dust and debris particles. This is a great functionality that keeps the printer mechanisms clean and reduces chances of card jams.
- Cleaning Pens: ID printer cleaning pens are very important for optimal image quality, because they’re designed primarily for cleaning the print head. This is a big deal, because without a clean print head, your ID cards can have streaks and distorted images. Such defects aren’t just bad for card aesthetics, but can significantly affect organizational security. Luckily, many such issues can be addressed with an ID printer cleaning pen. Simply slide the pen across the print head surface, and this will remove the debris. However, make sure that the pen is moist, otherwise you’ll damage the print head. Also, we’ve seen clients damage their printers by using a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol, because they thought it was just like using a cleaning pen…Except that it wasn’t, and they damaged the print head (because the pen is designed with an ideal surface to prevent scratches, and doesn’t drip the rubbing alcohol).
Need Help with Your Printer Cleaning?
If you need help with your printer cleaning, please give us a call at (800) 798-3343 and we’ll be happy to walk you through all the steps! And ask our techs about a professional cleaning – you can read about it here!