Thermal printheads
are a vital part and extremely sensitive and expensive. Important care and maintenance is important
to the optimal functioning.
Below are a collection of questions and
answers to help provide you with information and direction to follow to get the
most out of your printheads
:
1. Why is preserving the printhead
life important?
- save money as printheads
are
very expensive
- reduce poor print quality and
marginally scannable bar codes, due to worn out printheads
2. What causes wear to the printhead
?
- friction
- prolonged use at high printhead
energies (i.e. heat)
- excessive buildup or ink residue on the printhead
- misuse or abuse by the operator
3. What protects the printhead
from abrasion?
- a thin, hard
coating over the heating elements protect them from abrasion while providing
efficient heat transfer
- the ribbon
also
protects the printhead
from abrasion damage. It is separates the printhead
from
the printing substrate to shield it from abrasive movements, and also has a
lubricated backcoat that allows it to flow smoothly over the printhead
4. What causes abrasive damage to printheads
?
- when a label or
tag stock is wider than the ribbon
(which causes the media on either side of
the ribbon’s
edges passes directly over the printhead
).
- using a ribbon
with an ineffective backcoat
- using
inappropriate media for thermal transfer
- improper cleaning
of the printhead
- some ribbons
with
backcoats specially formulated to clean the printhead
5. How can abrasive damage be recognized?
- the first sign is
usually a decrease in image quality
- also can be
failure of one or more heating elements, which shows as a “white line” through
the printed image where the printhead
no longer has the ability to transfer ink
6. Do quality ribbons
require lower energy settings?
- yes, a ribbon
and
substrate combination that is matched for optimum print quality at the lowest
energy settings can extend printhead
life
7. What is "Printhead Buildup"?
- buildup is the
accumulation of deposits of ink, ribbon
backcoat, paper particles, label
adhesive, dust, dirt, etc. over time
8. When does printhead
buildup become a problem?
- buildup becomes a
problem when maintenance guidelines are not followed and print quality results
- any deposit on
the printhead
, if not removed regularly, can insulate the heating elements from
the ribbon
and thus require printing at higher energy settings, which can
ultimately shorten printhead
life
- burned-out pixels
in the printhead
result in unscannable bar codes
9. How to prevent buildup from becoming a problem?
- purchase a good
quality ribbon
and printing substrate
- minimize the
accumulation of dust by keeping the printer cover closed
- follow the OEM’s
recommended operating, maintenance, and printhead
cleaning schedule
10. How long will a printhead
last if the best possible ribbons
are used?
- this will depend
on the printhead
design and other factors such as printer speed, energy
settings, static, substrate, and ribbon
quality
- a good ribbon
should be guaranteed not to cause significant degradation due to buildup or
abrasion throughout the printhead’s
rated life
- the industry
standard is that the printhead
should last for one million linear inches of use
Be sure to keep these answers and tips
handy for quick reference. For more
information on printheads
and to learn more about your options for all your
printer, labeling and barcode printing and scanning needs, call us at (800)
643-2664
and immediately talk to one of our friendly representatives; or chat
us up on Facebook
, Twitter
, Google+
and LinkedIn
!
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