The best way to prevent torn ribbons is to clean your printer on a regular basis. To clean your card printer you'll need a special cleaning kit designed for use with your specific model. It's important to always have cleaning kits on hand. Alpha Card carries cleaning kits for all printer makes and models. You can find them in the ID Printer Supplies section of our online store or use our Supply Locator tool.

How often should you clean your ID card printer? Typically, we encourage people to clean the printer every time they change out the printer ribbon or cartridge. Depending on the printer model, this can be as often as once every 165 prints, on up to once every 500 prints. After cleaning, it's also a good idea to calibrate the ribbon sensor before installing the new ribbon, if your printer offers you the option.

Another way to fix ribbon breakage is to restore your printer driver settings to the default settings. Sometimes, changing the driver settings can cause overheating of the ribbon. If this happens, it's best to switch back to the default settings.
Of course if you continue to experience difficulties with torn ribbons and need further assistance, please feel free to give us a call at 800-717-8080.