10 Rules To Keep Your Zebra Printer Operational

1. One of the greatest failures occurring in Zebra thermal barcode printers is due to the printheads not
   being cleaned regularly. A good rule of thumb is to clean the printhead on each of your Zebra thermal
   printers every time you replace a ribbon or roll of paper. It takes only about a minute and this
   action could save you thousands of dollars over the life of the printer. Follow the instructions in
   your User’s Manual as to the type of cleaning solvent to be used for your specific model.
2. If you feel you are burning out printheads too often on your Zebra thermal printer, you may want to
   check your User’s Manual for the recommended heat and darkness settings. An incorrect
   setting often will reduce the printhead life and could cost you thousands of dollars over the life of
   the printer.
3. Dust residing on the Media Sensor can cause major service issues. The Media Sensor is the
   mechanism that insures that the gap between the paper and the printhead remains constant.
   Most people purchase a bottle of “canned air” and simply give the Media Sensor a few quick
   blasts of air, which will usually clear out any dust residue left over from the roll paper. You
   should consider doing this regularly, every time you change the ribbon or a roll of paper. It will
   only take a few seconds and it will ensure more up-time.
4. If you are using a ribbon in your Zebra thermal printer, be sure that it is a good quality ribbon. Lower
   cost ribbons are often not manufactured to the exact wax and/or resin specifications of your
   printer and could cause a wax build-up on the platen. Wax build-up can cause poor print quality
   resulting in barcode reliability issues.
5. If you are using a Zebra thermal printer that does not use a ribbon (typically called a Direct Thermal
   printer vs. a Thermal Transfer printer that does use ribbons) and you are constantly having
   problems with defective printheads, you may want to consider either changing your printer to a
   Thermal Transfer printer or using a better quality paper. A Thermal Transfer printer, due to the
   position of the ribbon between the printhead and the label paper, can greatly extend the life of
   thermal printheads, as paper is not directly rubbing against the printhead itself and causing
   friction.
6. A good rule of thumb, when purchasing new ribbons on Zebra thermal transfer printers, is to purchase
   a ribbon that is slightly wider than the actual labels that you are using. For instance, if the label
   that you are using is 4.1″ in width, then you may want to consider purchasing ribbons that are
   4.33″ in width.
7. Are you wearing out printheads? If so, here is something you may want to check. Be sure that
   you are not using low grade label paper if you are using Direct Thermal printers. Often bargain
   priced rolls of paper really are not a “bargain”. Why? Because low grade paper often is coarser
   and can cause more wear on the printheads. We have seen situations with even as high as
   50% more wear on the printhead. As you may know, printheads in thermal printers are very
   expensive. It may make sense to pay a little more for paper, as it is a fraction of the cost
   compared to replacing printheads more often. Remember, the manufacturers of thermal
   printers consider the printheads as consumables that the end-user is responsible to replace.
   These consumables run into the hundreds of dollars each.
8. Do you have burned-out printhead elements on your thermal printer? Here is how to tell with a
   PAUSE TEST. There may be situations where it looks like information is missing on your labels
   and/or barcodes when they are being printed. There is always a chance that one or more of the
   print elements in your thermal printer printhead may be burned out. Before calling someone for
   Zebra thermal printer repair, you may want to try this simple test that only takes a few moments to see
   if in fact it is your print elements. Keep in mind that some manufacturers considers printheads
   as consumables and they must be replaced from time to time. Typically, this is performed by a
   qualified Zebra printer repair technician. This self test can be used to print test labels when you make
   adjustments to the thermal printer’s mechanical assemblies to determine if any of the printhead
   elements are not working.
9. What are printer and print server alerts? Should you pay attention to them? Alerts give you the
   ability to proactively manage your Zebra thermal printer and print server. If the printer or print server
   has an error, you would be sent an alert notifying you of the situation. The manufacturer Zebra
   uses ZebraNet Bridge that gives you control to monitor your bar code printers from anywhere,
   and documents the alerts to a log file. A soon as ZebraNet Bridge receives an alert, the alert
   appears in the Events tab. If you have not viewed the alert yet in the Events tab, the box in the
   status bar at the bottom of the application shows: 

    New alert
    Alert type
    Alert severity by color

   You can configure ZebraNet Bridge to notify you by blinking the application tab in the task bar.
   Remember, ZebraNet Bridge only logs alerts that occur while the application is running. A good
   Zebra repair company sees this issue often and will be able to supply you with a new Zebra
   printhead and will also fully check out your Zebra printer. A steady program that includes Zebra
   printer maintenance will help you keep your printer up and running longer. Check with the
   manufacturer of your thermal printer to see what they offer to manager your thermal printer.

10. Clean the exterior and interior area of your Zebra thermal printer often. To keep your Zebra thermal printer
    running optimally, remember to clean the interior and exterior of the printer. When these areas
    are dirty, the chance of debris getting into the wrong area is increased. To clean the exterior
    surfaces of the printer use a lint-free cloth. Do not use harsh or abrasive cleaning agents or
    solvents. If necessary, a mild detergent solution or desktop cleaner may be used sparingly. You
    should inspect the interior area after every four rolls of media. Remove any dirt and lint from the
    interior of the printer using a soft bristle brush and/or vacuum cleaner. A good Zebra thermal printer
    repair company sees this issue often and will be able to supply you with a new Zebra thermal printer
    printhead and will also fully check out your Zebra thermal printer. A steady program that includes
    Zebra thermal printer maintenance will help you keep your Zebra thermal printer up and running longer.