How to Resolve a Breaking Ribbon with an SD160

If your ribbons keep breaking when printing with your Datacard SD160 printer, there are several steps you can take to resolve the issue.

If your ribbon breaks, you can repair it by taping the broken ends back together to continue printing. If your printer continues to break the ribbon, follow these steps.

How to Resolve Breaking Ribbons

1. Run a cleaning cycle on your printer. Regularly cleaning the printer will keep out dust and debris, which can damage the printer.
2. Update the printer firmware to the newest version from Datacard.
3. Reduce the printhead power.
4. Try different cards.
5. Try a different ribbon.
6. Clean the inside of the printer with compressed air to remove dust or debris.
7. Verify that you have the correct power supply, and that it is NOT plugged into a surge protector.
8. Run a self test.

If you continue to experience problems, please contact AlphaCard technical support.