DATACARD ID Card Printers Troubleshooting

SD360

1. My printed cards have small unprinted areas. What’s wrong?

This happens when dust and debris are on surface of the card or when cards are contaminated with oily deposits. To fix this issue:

• Ensure Cards are kept clean, and protected from dust & debris.
• Replace Cards with clean ones and do not touch the print surface.
• Clean the printer.

2. The colors on my printed cards look very light.

1. Verify that the ribbon is loaded properly.
2. Make sure that the cards were not previously printed. Use new cards.
3. Check that printhead is installed correctly.
4. The printhead power is too low. Log on to the Printer Manager as a WebAdmin. Open the Printer Settings > Print menu. Increase the YMCPower setting, and press the Set Current button to save your changes.

3. Monochrome printing is uneven or is missing in some areas.

• The monochrome (K) power setting is too low.
• The cards require a different setting.
• Increase the monochrome intensity gradually and check results.

4. I am experiencing card jams. How do I fix that?

The card did not reach the position for the next action, such as printing or ejecting the card. You usually can resolve the error by pressing the USER button so that the printer displays Ready. If the error persists, do the following to remove the card from the printer.

1. Open the printer.
2. Remove the print ribbon cartridge.
3. Turn the manual advance knob to move the jammed card until it is accessible from the rollers.
4. Remove the card.
5. Replace the ribbon cartridge and close the printer.
6. Press the USER button on the printer or click Retry in the message box.

5. I get error 109: Print ribbon problem. What’s wrong?

The print ribbon is not moving properly.

1. Open the printer and remove the ribbon cartridge.
2. Reposition, repair, or replace the ribbon and advance the repaired area one full turn. If the ribbon is torn, you can tape the 2 ends back together.
3. Replace the ribbon cartridge and close the printer.

Press the USER button on the printer. In the message box, click Retry, or click Cancel to cancel the card.

6. How do I print a test card?

The printer includes a test card that runs without using a driver or other source of card data. Use it to verify that the printer is working.

1. Begin with the printer Ready. The USER button shows steady green.
2. Press the USER button to display Suspended on Line 1 of the LCD panel.
3. Press ENTER to enter the menu system.
4. Press ENTER to enter the Maintenance menu.
5. Press the down arrow until Test Card displays on Line 2.
6. With Test Card displayed on Line 2, press ENTER to display Start on Line 2.
7. Press Enter to print the test card.

After the card prints, the printer returns to Ready.

7. How do I clean the printhead?

Clean the printhead when:

• The printhead is replaced.
• There are unprinted lines on the finished card. This usually indicates dirt or contaminants on the printhead.
• The printhead is touched accidentally. Oils from hands can affect print quality and damage the printhead.

Do the following to clean the printhead:

1. Power off the printer.
2. Open the printer cover and remove the print ribbon cartridge.
3. Open and remove a cleaning swab from its package.
4. Use gentle pressure to move the cleaning swab back and forth along the full length of the printhead edge until it is completely clean.
5. Replace the print ribbon cartridge. Avoid bumping the printhead when you install the print ribbon cartridge.
6. Close the printer cover.
7. Power on the printer.
8. Print a sample card to verify the quality of printing.

8. How do I clean the printer?

Run a cleaning card to clean debris from the inside of the printer and from the hopper rollers. The cleaning card can remove most contaminants from the printer. Run a cleaning card after every 250 cards processed by the printer, or every 6 months.

Single Hopper:

1. Prepare the printer for cleaning.
1. Power on the printer.
2. Open the printer cover and remove the print ribbon cartridge.
3. Close the cover.
4. Open the input hopper and remove any unprinted cards.
5. Open the cleaning card package and remove the cleaning card.)
6. Load the cleaning card in the input hopper. (Plan to clean the printer immediately. The cleaning card dries out if it is out of its package for more than a few minutes.
2. Use the LCD menu system to start the cleaning cycle.
1. Begin when the printer displays Ready and the USER button shows steady green. Press the USER button. Suspended displays on Line 1 of the LCD panel.
2. Press the ENTER key to enter the menu system.
3. Maintenance displays on line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the ENTER key to enter the Maintenance menu.
4. Cleaning Card displays on line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the ENTER key to enter the Cleaning Card menu.
5. Start displays on Line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the ENTER key to start the cleaning process.
6. Insert cleaning card displays on the LCD panel. Press the USER button to start the cleaning cycle. The printer moves the card through the printer several times and ejects it in the output hopper.
3. Remove the used cleaning card. Wait a few minutes for the rollers to dry.
4. Prepare the printer for use.
1. Replace the cards in the input hopper.
2. Install a new cleaning sleeve on the ribbon cartridge and remove the protective cover.
3. Replace the ribbon cartridge and close the printer cover. Press the User button to return the printer to Ready. The printer is available to print cards again.
4. Discard the used cleaning card and cleaning sleeve.