Thermal label printers are the most essential tool for you to produce perfect print results in coding and marking. You need to take proper care of your thermal label printer and it will help you save lots of money in its repair and replacements. All you need to do is to follow these simple procedures regularly and religiously.
1. You need to clean the print head and the platen roller of your thermal label printer very carefully and regularly. This print head is a very delicate and the most important part of your thermal label printer. The platen roller sits just underneath this print head. You have to clean both the print head and the platen roller every time you change your ribbons or the label rolls. It takes only a minute to do this and can save your thermal label printer’s life for a long, long time.
You must use a suitable cleaning liquid on lint free, non abrasive cloth to clean the print head and the platen roller. You must avoid touching these parts with your bare hands as it may damage it further.
2. You have to keep the interior, the surfaces and the accessories of your machine absolutely clean. Be sure to check the interior of your label printer just after you have changed the label rolls. You can use a soft brush for this purpose or you can use the approved compressed air spray to remove any dust, particles or residue from the previous roll labels. The dust from heat sensitive paper coating contain metal that may cause a short between the heating elements of the print head.
You must apply some air blasts on your media sensor also. It keeps the space between print head and the print media constant. Any building up dust and other particles can cause printer errors.
You should clean the outer surface of the label printer and the installed accessories with a soft and lint free cloth and a mild detergent. These activities need to repeated regularly.
3. You have to choose carefully the right label media and continuously keep on checking the settings. Be very particular in using labels of good quality only that matches with your specific application. Any quality compromise in labels can lead to premature print head failures. It may give rise to adhesive bleeding and increased deposits. It may also result in unfavorable perforation cuts or in any other damaging things.
Use of poor quality labels may force you to use excessive heat settings and darkness. It will cause damage to the protective layer of your print head. It can damage your print head and break low temperature wax ribbons.
- You need to perform a Pause self test. Regular cleaning of the print head and performing a Pause self test is important. You need to consult the User’s Manual to do this task. It will print a nozzle check pattern and will show whether the print head is capable of printing across the entire label width.
- You need to set up a maintenance contract. You have to be in constant contact with your printer provider. They have certified technicians who can perform scheduled maintenance and necessary repairs according to the manufacturer’s instructions and the warranty notes.
This way you can maintain your thermal label printer very well.