An ID card printer is an important investment for your business or organization. To protect it, and to keep it printing at the top of its game, there are five simple steps for card printer maintenance. Proper maintenance can mean the difference between an ID card printer that bows out early and one that performs like new far on down the line.

1. Don’t use anything but the recommended ribbon and cards for the printer. It may be tempting to look for a discounted off-brand, but in the long run, if you use anything else other than the recommended printing supplies the quality of the printed cards and print heads can decline over time.
2. Similarly, use only the printer cleaning kits designed for your specific printer model. Using a brand other than the one that is recommended can reduce the quality of the cleaning job, and in turn the quality of your ID cards.
3. Clean the printer regularly. The time between cleanings will vary depending on the printer manufacturer, but a good rule to go by is to clean the printer when you change the ribbon. Even printers that have integrated cleaning ribbons with the print ribbon need to be cleaned at the same frequency as other printers.
4. Check to make sure that the ribbons and cleaning kits are installed correctly. If a cartridge or spool is even slightly out of calibration it can cause streaking or discolored cards or a printer jam.
5. Don’t forget to clean the whole printer. The print heads aren’t the only component that needs to be cleaned. Using a can of compressed air to remove dust and debris from the printer as a whole will make sure that cards will pass through the printer with ease and without causing a jam. With dust and debris gone, printed cards will not suffer from marring and streaks that are caused from dust on printing mechanisms.
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