FADED EPOS THERMAL PRINTER HEAD REPLACEMENT
We offer proffessional thermal printer head replacement services for most thermal printers countrywide
examples includes, epos thermal printer, x-printer, mini-printer, TSL thermal printer,
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below are some tips on how to use thermal printers properly.
Thermal Print Head Life
The printer head is a very delicate and important portion of any thermal printer. Proper care must be taken with any portion of the printer, but it is especially important with this component. The goal of this document is to show you how to get the most mileage out of that critical component.
There are certain items on a thermal printer which are consumables. We traditionally think of consumables as Label or Ribbon, but there are also wear items which< need to be considered as consumables as well. Some of these items would be print heads and platens.
1. Cleaning of the print head.
It is recommended that you clean the print head and platen roller after every ribbon change for Thermal Transfer operation or after every media change for Direct Thermal operation. Make sure to only clean with either a SATO packaged cleaner or a non-abrasive, lint free cloth and Isopropyl Alcohol (90% of higher). Doing this regularly is the easiest way to get the most mileage out of the print head.
Make sure to never touch the printer head with your bare hands. The oils or other contaminants on your hands can have a negative affect on print head life.
Printer head properly maintained |
Printer head not maintained properly |
In the examples above, both of these print heads have seen the same number of labels, one got regular cleanings and one did not. Both have since been cleaned and the results show one printer head broken and the other which still works properly.
2. Choosing the right media.
As previously stated the print head is a wear item and will eventually fail. The big question is: When will it fail?
Not cleaning the print head leads to unwanted residue that builds up on the print head. Although the printer may still be printing, you will have to continue to increase the print head heat to get the same darkness and the quality will start to fade. With the increased heat and increased residue there is more heat trapped at the print head. This residual heat will eventually cause the protective layer to crack and the print head will be damaged.
The amount of residue and how quick it builds up will depend on the Labels, Ribbon and environment, your maintenance and the cleaning frequency.
When using either method of printing it is important that you chose a good quality product.
The ribbon can also build up ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) which can destroy the components of the print head. Make sure to operate the printer with all original parts and that the covers are closed while the printer is in operation.
3. Printer head maintenance.
Although cleaning the printer and print head will greatly increase the print heads life so will proper maintenance and setup.
Printer head replacement:
When the print head does fail it is important that a trained technician replace it as improper print head alignment and balance can affect not only the print quality but also its life. Much like the tire on your car, if it is misaligned, it will ware a grove in one area of the tire while leaving the remainder intact; the same rule applies for our print heads. The problem with both scenarios is that you have an unusable part due to an uneven wear.
A misaligned print head will cause the need for more heat to transfer the image to the paper. The more heat applied to the print head, the higher the chance of premature failure. If this has been adjusted from factory setting during the course of the previous head’s installation it is recommended that it be realigned with the new one.
Use only enough heat necessary to transfer a quality image to the label. There is no need for the excessive heat and more heat can affect the life of the print head.
Platen roller replacement:
Over time, the platen roller will exhibit wear from the media thickness and pressure being exerted from the print head assembly. When the platen roller exhibits wear, most times other adjustments are made to compensate for the circumference of the platen roller with treading effects of operation, thus increasing friction/wear and tear on the print head. The platen roller is warranted for 30km but it should be inspected regularly to ensure proper diameter is across the shaft. If you can see visible deviation on the platen roller, it needs to be replaced and perform proper adjustments for both alignment and the print head pressure so it is equal across the entire print area, not just for the width of media.
4. Environment.
The environment can have an adverse affect on the printer as well as the labels.
If the printer is used outside the printer’s specifications it may have an adverse affect on the life of the print head. If there is possible exposure to water, excessive heat or cold, you may need to consider an enclosure for the printer.
If the labels and ribbon are stored in an environment outside of their storage specification you can damage the labels and ribbon. This can cause unwanted changes to the properties of the label and ribbon, which can in-turn cause unwanted reactions to the print head and/or leave unwanted residue that would not normally have been contaminating the printer if they were stored properly.
