Card printer cleaning kits are an affordable way to protect your printer from damage, achieve optimal image quality, and extend the life of your printer. There are many brands and types of cleaning supplies, each designed to clean a specific printer model and area of the printer. To ensure a thorough clean that will not harm your printer, always comply with the recommendations found within your printer manual.

Here are a few common types of cleaning kits and how they’re used to clean and protect the card printer:

• Adhesive cards clean the printer’s card roller. These low-tack adhesive cards clean dust and other debris from the rollers to help prevent damage to your printhead. During the cleaning cycle, adhesive cards run through the printer in the same way as plastic cards do during card printing. Many card printers will notify you when it’s time to run a cleaning card through your printer.
• Cleaning rollers continuously clean dust and debris from cards before they’re printed to prevent printer damage. Not all printers are equipped with a cleaning roller. It’s important to regularly replace the rollers.
• Alcohol swabs and cleaning pens clean the printhead. (Adhesive cards and cleaning rollers do not clean the printhead.) It’s important to switch off the printer before cleaning the printhead and avoid touching the printhead with your fingers. Gently swipe the swab or pen over the printhead and let the printhead air dry before using the printer.

To find a cleaning kit designed for your specific printer model, use ID Wholesaler’s Printer Supplies Selector or call an ID Professional at (800) 321-4405!

Written by Kate Curtis on November 28th, 2012 | Tags: Cleaning Kits, Printer Cleaning | Category: Card Printer Supplies | Leave a comment

Absolutely! As you may have noticed, there have been a ton of commercials on TV lately showing you how important it is to do routine maintenance on your car, such as changing your oil. Card printers are not much different. They both have many moving parts that over time collect dust, dirt, and grime. In a printer, these foreign agents can slow down your machine, break ribbons, and render cards useless. This costs you money!

This is why a cleaning kit is so important. All the manufacturers recommend that you run a cleaning kit through the machine with each ribbon change. This routine maintenance will not only keep your card printing costs down, but it will extend the life of your printer and keep your warranty in tact.

Another added bonus is that cleaning kits are cheap – usually only a couple dollars a cleaning. Which is just one more reason to save you the headaches, deadlines, and costly repairs.

To find the cleaning kit for your specific printer in no time flat, use ID Wholesaler’s Supplies Selector!

Written by Jake Notermann on July 22nd, 2011 | Tags: Cleaning Kits, Printer Cleaning | Category: Helpful Tips & Support | Leave a comment

Do you see a white line or multiple white lines along the length of your ID card? If yes, then it’s pretty safe to assume there is a problem with your printhead. When a group of cards are printed, the white line will appear in the same location on each card. Below is an example of two cards printed with the same damaged printhead.

To fix this problem, you will probably need to replace the printhead. However, before having your printhead replaced, clean the printer to see if that resolves the issue. (If you don’t own a cleaning kit, you can use our ID Card Printer Supplies Selector to find the correct cleaning kit for your printer.)

If a white line remains after cleaning the printer, then a new printhead will be required. Most printheads typically cost between $500 and $1000. If your ID card printer 2-4 years old and out of warranty, it may be time to consider buying a new printer. Oftentimes it makes more sense to invest in a new printer than replacing parts on an old machine that is out of warranty. If your printer is under the original warranty, you may be able to get the printhead replaced by the manufacturer. Our technical support team can help you verify your printer warranty and assist you with this process.

Either way, it is important to protect your investment of the new printhead or new printer. Dust, debris, and oil from your skin can cause printhead problems. Below are steps you can take to maximize the life of the printhead:

1. Clean often. Properly maintain your printer by cleaning it regularly. As a general rule, it’s a good idea to get in the habit of cleaning your printer every time you install a new ribbon.

2.  Remove jewelry. If you are planning to open the printer cover for any reason, remove all jewelry from your hands and wrists. Printheads are fragile and they are easy to accidentally bump with a watch or ring. Below is an image of a printhead unintentionally damaged by jewelry.

3. Handle unprinted cards with care. Wash your hands before opening and loading cards into the printer. Touch the cards on the edges or sides (not on the top or bottom surfaces that get printed). If you accidently drop an unprinted card on the floor, throw it away. Don’t try to clean it and do not put it into the printer.

4. Always use graphic quality cards. These high quality cards are visually inspected which ensures the card is clean when it is packaged by the manufacturer. Keep the shrink wrap on the cards until they are loaded in the printer.

5. Cover your printer. If your printer sits for extended periods of time without being used, use a dust cover or return the printer to the original packaging for protection.

6. Never use pre-punched card or perforated cards like keytags. Protect your printhead by punching a hole in the card after the printing is completed. If your application requires a pre-punched or perforated card, do yourself and your company a favor and purchase a reverse image transfer ID card printer.

At ID Wholesaler, we work to educate our customers to help them get the most out of their printers. For additional help or to learn more call an ID Expert at (800)321-4405.

Do you have additional tips to help others protect their ID card printer investments? Share in the comments below!

Written by Kristie Larson on December 29th, 2010 | Tags: Printer Cleaning | Category: ID Card Printers & Systems | Leave a comment

Dust is your ID card printer’s worst enemy. Therefore, it’s important for you to take steps to prevent dust build-up within your machines. A simple solution is a printer dust cover. Dust covers are made of an anti-static, waterproof nylon fabric. In addition to looking good, they fit right and will protect your investment from spills, water, dust, smoke, animal hair, and other corrosive environmental contaminants.

ID Wholesaler carries the BadgePlus line of dust covers. They are equipped with a lifetime guarantee—a testament to their belief that they have the best cover solutions on the market today. The covers are available for many models of printers to ensure that they have a custom, secure fit.

To shield your printer from dust, shop dust covers now or call an ID expert at (800) 321-4405 for assistance or advice.

Written by Kate Curtis on September 8th, 2010 | Tags: Printer Cleaning | Category: ID Card Printers & Systems | Leave a comment

Hands up! Use caution when handling blank ID cards. Dust, debris, and oils from your skin can attach to the cards and damage the printhead which can cost hundreds of dollars to replace. Here are five simple steps you can take when handling your blank ID cards to prevent damage:

1. Store your cards in a clean, airtight container.
2. Wash your hands before loading cards in your printer. The oils from your skin can stick to the cards and damage the printhead.
3. If a card drops on the floor, throw it away even if it appears to be clean. The cost of a single plastic card is far less than the cost of replacing a printhead.
4. Fan your blank ID cards before loading the card hopper. Fanning will reduce static and help to prevent the cards from sticking.
5. Avoid too much handling of the cards before printing. Hold cards at the edge without touching the surface of the cards.

Your printer will thank you for taking these steps to keep your cards clean!

Written by Kate Curtis on July 30th, 2010 | Tags: Printer Cleaning | Category: Helpful Tips & Support | Leave a comment

UPDATE: This promotion has expired. Visit ID Wholesaler to view current promotions.

Now is the time to stock up on ID card printer cleaning kits. Through the end of July, save an additional 15% on all cleaning supplies at ID Wholesaler with coupon code save15.

Why clean your printer regularly? Dust is your ID card printer’s worst enemy. The damage it can create is substantial. It can accumulate in the printer and cause spots to appear on printed cards or damage the printhead which can cost hundreds of dollars to replace.

It is recommended that you clean your printer after every ribbon change. Regular printer cleanings are proven to extend the life of your printer, improve print quality, and reduce the chance of printhead damage.

Protect your printer and buy a cleaning kit now, learn more about this promotion, or call an ID expert for assistance at (800)321-4405.

Written by Kate Curtis on July 21st, 2010 | Tags: Cleaning Kits, Printer Cleaning | Category: Promotions | Leave a comment

Dust may be small, but when it comes to your ID card printer, the damage it can create is substantial. Dust and other particles can accumulate inside the printer and cause spots or specks to appear on the printed cards. Worse yet, dust can damage the printhead which can cost hundreds of dollars to replace.

How to Prevent Dust Buildup in Your ID Printer
Dust is inevitable. The good news is that there are ways to minimize dust and protect your investment. More on Preventing Dust Buildup

Written by Kate Curtis on March 25th, 2010 | Tags: Cleaning Kits, Printer Cleaning | Category: Helpful Tips & Support | Leave a comment

Why clean your ID card printer? Well, if you saw things from our side or, more importantly, the technician’s side of things, you would see that this simple function is often neglected and leads to bigger problems. You see, regular cleaning of your printer is much like a regular oil change in your car. If you don’t change the oil regularly there are a number of things that can happen, including decreased performance and severe engine damage.

The same is true with cleaning your ID card printer. A dirty printer will lose print quality, have card feeding issues, and ultimately damage the printhead thus leaving lines running through your cards. Many times the printers sent to our technicians for repair simply need a good cleaning and then are running like new again. Actually, the percentage of printers that require this simple repair will surprise you… it is well above 50%! More on the Importance of Printer Cleanings

Written by Matt Burton on March 10th, 2010 | Tags: Cleaning Kits, Printer Cleaning | Category: ID Card Printers & Systems | Leave a comment

To ensure the optimal performance of your new ZXP Series 8 Zebra Re-transfer printer, it is critical that you clean the printer on a regular basis. You should not attempt to clean your ID card printer using any tools other than the genuine cleaning kits provided by your card printer’s manufacturer. Adjusting any part inside your card printer even for cleaning purposes will void your manufacturer’s warranty. The cleaning kit provided by Zebra for the ZXP Series 8 is specially engineered to thoroughly clean your ID card printer and not damage printer operations. More on Printer Cleaning & Zebra ZXP Series 8 Card Printer »

Written by David Stage on January 22nd, 2010 | Tags: Printer Cleaning | Category: Helpful Tips & Support | Leave a comment