SYMPTOM

POSSIBLE CAUSE

CORRECTIVE ACTION

Poor Edge Definition

Print speed is too high

Reduce print speed

Ribbon and receiving material are incompatible

Test alternative ribbon types or use ribbons with more wax in it or change receiving material

Barcodes Smearing bleeding or feathering

Printhead energy setting is too high

Reduce energy setting until bar edges are clean

Print speed is too high

Reduce print speed

Rotated barcode is being used

Change label design to include only normal barcodes

Bars in barcodes are too wide or too narrow

Print speed is too high

Reduce print speed

Printhead energy setting is too high/too low

Adjust to optimize average bar growth (visually or with verifier)

Underburn (not enough ribbon transfer)

Increase printhead energy setting or use a ribbon with higher sensitivity (refers to ribbons requiring less energy)

Overburn (too much ribbon transfer)

Reduce printhead energy setting or use a ribbon with lower sensitivity (refers to ribbons requiring more energy)

Bars too thick

Reduce printhead energy setting

Insufficient print contrast:

Label surface is too dark to provide proper contrast between bars and background

Choose label with lighter surface color

Printhead energy setting is too low

Increase printhead energy setting

Printed image is normal, but grayish

Printhead energy setting is too high

Reduce energy setting

Printhead pressure is too high

Reduce printhead pressure

Ribbon and receiving material are incompatible

Test alternative ribbon or receiving material

Areas where there is no print

Dust or particules on label

Remove them with compressed air. Place anti static apparatus around printhead

Tag or label surface is inconsistent

Choose face sheet or flood coating inks specifically designed for thermal transfer

Ribbon and receiving material are incompatible

Test alternative ribbon or receiving material

Printhead elements or “dots” are dirty or obstructed

Clean printhead with presaturated cleaning card or soft-stemmed Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol

Printhead elements are burned out

Replace printhead

Printhead misalignment

Check for alignment-related defects with a known well-performing ribbon/receiving material combination; realign if necessary

Repetitive voids in Image

Printhead elements are dirty or obstructed

Clean printhead with presaturated cleaning card, or soft-stemmed Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol

Printhead elements are burned out or worn down

Replace printhead

Streaks

Ribbon is wrinkled

See Ribbon Wrinkling

Poor coating quality on tag or label surface

Contact receiving material supplier for assistance

Printhead elements are dirty

Clean printhead with presaturated cleaning card, or soft-stemmed Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol

Not printing any image

Ribbon is loaded backwards

Use tape to determine ;ink side of the ribbon (ink will come off on tape). Then, make sure ink side of ribbon is facing the receiving material surface as it feeds through printer

Ribbon and receiving material are incompatible

Test alternative ribbon or receiving material

Ribbon wrinkling

Printhead is misaligned

Realign printhead

Guide-bar is misaligned

Realign guide-bar

Printhead energy setting is too high

Reduce printhead energy setting

Rewind tension is greater than unwind tension

Adjust tension

Ribbon is feeding unevenly

Remove supply roll and used ribbon from take-up shaft; reload ribbon making sure film is feeding straight to rewind shaft, not pulling in one direction

Label liner is migrating out of feed path

Make sure label roll is flush against printer on label roll bar and label guide bar is up and just beyond outside edge of label liner

Ribbon rewind shaft is out of alignment

Service required to realign or replace ribbon rewind shaft

Printhead pressure is too high

Reduce printhead pressure

Ribbon is too narrow or wide for receiving material

Make sure ribbon width is equal to, or slightly greater than, receiving material width

Ribbon breaking

Printhead elements are dirty or obstructed

Clean printhead with presaturated cleaning card or soft-stemmed Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol

Obstruction in ribbon feed path

Check for and remove label, tag or other particles from feed path and printhead assembly

Printhead energy setting is too high

Reduce printhead energy setting

Printhead pressure is too high

Reduce printhead pressure

Printer set on direct thermal mode

Set printer to thermal transfer mode

Unwind tension is too high

Reduce unwind tension

Iinsufficient backcoating

Replace ribbon and contact your ribbon supplier

Ribbon slippage

Rewind tension is too low

Increase rewind tension

Ribbon is sticking to printhead

Clean printhead with presaturated cleaning card or soft-stemmed Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol

Label surface is too slick for ribbon

Test different ribbon grades or change to a matte-coated label stock in place of gloss

Unwind tension is too high

Reduce unwind tension

Excessive sticking Between Ribbon and Label

Printhead energy setting is too high

Set energy setting as low as possible while still achieving acceptable print quality

Printhead pressure is too high

Reduce printhead pressure

Angle at which label is exiting the printer is too steep

Adjust angle down

Excessive noise during printing

Printhead energy setting is too high

Reduce printhead energy setting

Die-Cut labels continue to feed to find a label

Label sensor is dirty or obstructed

Clean sensor with soft-stem Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol or compressed air

Printer is set in the right mode

Change setting mode in label software

Die-cut label length is less than minimum length for specific printer model

Change format

Label sensor may not be aligned properly with gap between die cut labels

Realign label sensor

Printer doesn't stop when out of ribbon

Ribbon sensor is dirty or obstructed

Clean sensor with soft-stem Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol or compressed air

Ribbon sensor is out of position

Align sensor properly

Ribbon is not correct for specific printer model

Contact your ribbon supplier to confirm that the correct trailer is attached

Printer stalls

Ribbon or receiving material are not loaded properly

Reload ribbon and receiving material, making sure both pass under respective sensors

Ribbon ink density is too light to be recognised by the ribbon sensor

Consult printer manual or contact printer manufacturer or VAR for instructions on calibrating sensor

Ribbon or receiving material sensors are dirty or obstructed

Clean sensors with soft-stemmed Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol or compressed air

Label liner is too opaque to be recognised by label gap sensor

Consult printer manual, or contact printer manufacturer or VAR for instructions on re-calibrating sensor, or contact label manufacturer for liner alternatives

Printer is in label mode and you are running continuous material

Change receiving material type on printer or in label software

Trouble removing used ribbon from take-up shaft

Tension of the apparatus holding the core is too high or tension of the ribbon is too high

Reduce rewind tension and/or begin using empty cores on rewind shaft as take-up cores

Premature printhead failure

Excessive thermal stress

Make sure printhead energy is set as low as possible while still printing an acceptable image

Printhead pressure is too high

Choose thinner gauge receiving material or reduce printhead pressure

Insufficient printhead maintenance

Printheads must be cleaned after every ribbon or receiving material roll change. Use a pre-saturated cleaning card or a soft-stemmed Q-tip or cotton cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol.

Rewind tension is too high

Reduce rewind tension

Label surface is uneven

Without a label design change, the edges of the raised surface will abrade the printhead more quickly than the rest of the label surface will

Ribbon width is not covering receiving material width

Make sure ribbon width is equal to or slightly greater than receiving material width