WHY SHOULD I CLEAN MY SYSTEM?
Performing stand-alone cleaning cycles on your card printer on a regular basis helps ensure that your printer is operating at its highest level. Without regular cleaning, your cards may be printed with visible defects, and you may experience premature printhead failure, which is an unnecessary and costly expense.
Printers can be contaminated in a number of ways:
- Static from plastic cards attracting airborne dust and dirt
- Pigment ink of monochrome ribbons can produce additional debris
- Dust, dirt and natural oils from user’s hands
We recommend that you clean your printer on a regular basis. Our specifically engineered cleaning products help to reduce contaminants in the system that can be transferred to the card and protect the system from printhead failure. Regular cleaning is necessary to extend printhead life and ensure high-quality cards.
WHEN SHOULD I CLEAN MY SYSTEM?
There are several types of cleaning systems that require different cleaning processes. Here are the basic rules to follow when setting a cleaning interval:
Cleaning Recommendation: Printer
For a color ribbon, the best time to perform a cleaning cycle is when the ribbon is being replaced. Cleaning the printer at this time eliminates printer downtime. This means that every ribbon replacement will result in one cleaning cycle. All color ribbons come with a cleaning card and a new roller.
For a monochrome ribbon, we recommend that you schedule cleaning between ribbon replacements. Monochrome ribbons require more frequent cleaning because their high yield means that they tend to remain in the printer longer. Additionally, their material composition tends to produce more contamination within the printer than color ribbons. All monochrome ribbons come with a cleaning card and a new roller.
Cleaning Recommendation: Printhead
Occasional debris built up on the printhead can lead to card quality issues, such as white lines appearing on finished cards. If not cleaned, the printhead will eventually fail. We offer isopropanol cleaning swabs specifically designed to clean the printhead. Cleaning the printhead is also a good opportunity to perform a cleaning cycle (refer to cleaning cycle instructions below) and remove all contaminants from the print rollers.
WHAT DO I NEED TO CLEAN MY SYSTEM?
You typically need a cleaning kit, swabs or spare parts, depending on the printer. You can refer to our Cleaning Kit Supplies on our website.
HOW SHOULD I CLEAN MY SYSTEM?
Perform a Cleaning Cycle
One cleaning cycle has three basic steps:
1. Replace the cleaning sleeve or cleaning tape (depending on the card printer).
2. Run a printer cleaning card.
3. If printing duplex cards or using laminate material, run a duplex cleaning card.
Note: Remember to keep the spindle of the cleaning roller, as it is intended to be reused. If you accidentally discard the core, a replacement can be ordered. Please contact us for more info.
Source: Entrust Datacard
