You run a very efficient operation. Your manufacturing operation is running effectively and production is on-time. Or, you run a high volume shipping operation with hundreds or thousands of items being shipped every day. You have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on machines, conveyors, computers and various other systems to ensure that everything is running on schedule.
Then, all of a sudden your barcode label printer is dead. You reach for a spare, and to your horror, you find that someone has forgotten to get the spare fixed the last time it went down. Now what? Production may stop, shipments can’t go out, and management is screaming.
No one thinks much of label printers (unless they go down), but they are often the weakest link in the total supply chain system within an organization. These small compact printers can cause major problems in any company. You may not have thought of it before, but barcode label printers need as much on-going service attention as a production machine, an automated conveyor system, or even a lift-truck. However, they rarely get that type of attention.
To help you keep your barcode label printers from going dead and keep them running at top efficiency at all times and avoid extra downtime, MIDCOM Service Group has compiled a list of suggestions that, when implemented, may help reduce your outages considerably.
Why would a printer repair company try to help people avoid expensive service calls? Because we have always built our business by earning the trust of our clients and giving them the proper advice. If our customers can’t correct an outage on their printer themselves or with our assistance over the phone, they know firsthand that they can trust us to repair it. We have found that our business has grown exponentially over the years with this business philosophy.
So here are some real-world ideas for you on keeping your thermal barcode label printers up and running.
One of the greatest failures occurring in thermal barcode label printers is due to the printheads not being cleaned regularly. A good rule of thumb is to clean the printhead on each of your thermal printers every time you replace a ribbon or roll of paper. Follow the instructions in your manufacturer’s user’s manual as to the type of solvent to be used. Most printers will recommend isoprene alcohol swabs to clean the printhead.
Another regular cleaning recommendation on thermal printers is the platen roller. Wax can build up on the platen rollers causing improper printing of barcodes.
A third area that can cause major service issues is dust residing on the media sensor. This is the mechanism that ensures 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 usually will 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.
If you are using a ribbon in your thermal printer, be sure that it is good quality ribbon. Many lower cost ribbons are 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.
If you are using a thermal printer that does not use a ribbon (typically called a Direct Thermal Printer vs. a Thermal Transfer Printer that does use ribbons), and if 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 of paper. A Thermal Transfer Printer, due to the ribbon, greatly extends the life of printheads in that the paper is not directly rubbing against the printhead itself. Less direct friction means fewer failures.
A good rule of thumb, when purchasing new ribbons on 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. This extra width will help keep more lubricant on the printhead and may help extend printhead life.
Be sure that you are not using low grade label paper if you are using Direct Thermal Printers. Often bargain priced rolls of paper are really 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 know, printheads in thermal printers are expensive, sometimes running as much as $650.00 each. It may make sense to pay a little more for the paper, as it is a fraction of the cost compared to replacing printheads more often.
If you or your customers are experiencing an unusually high rate of barcode read failures, and you cannot figure out why, here is another place to investigate. This is something you typically would not even think about. These failures can be due to the barcode being scratched in either the handling of the item that it is attached to, or during the actual shipment of the item. Certain formulations of wax and or wax/resin used on various labels, when coupled with certain grades of paper, will not allow the barcode information to actually adhere securely to the label. When this occurs, the slightest scratch or even another item rubbing against the label could cause parts of the barcode to rub-off.
If you suspect this could be your problem with poor barcode reads, you should contact us immediately. We can analyze your actual labels with a special electronic meter that will determine the actual adherence properties of the wax and/or resin “resiliency” to the label. You would be surprised how many issues we have been able to solve for our customers with this free test. MIDCOM has often been able to save them thousands of dollars in penalty fees paid to their vendors for having non-compliant and non-readable barcodes.
If you use the same paper stock in your printer, a term known as “calibration” probably will not be an issue. However, if you are using different types of paper stock and are having print quality issues, you may want to refer to your user’s manual and follow the instructions on how to “recalibrate” your printer.
Another area that can cause service issues with thermal printers is if the printer has a cutter option. You may want to check out your user’s manual to see how they suggest that you perform your own PM on this option. Dust and residue typically build up on the cutter. However, with a few simple swipes of a cloth, you may be able to save yourself downtime and the expense of having to call a service vendor.
If you feel you are burning out printheads too often, you may want to check your user’s manual for the recommended heat and darkness settings for the printhead. An incorrect setting often will reduce the printhead life.
Should a problem arise and you cannot correct it yourself using some of the ideas presented above, please seriously consider a call to the MIDCOM Service Group. For twenty-five years plus we have been helping companies throughout North America with affordable and reliable service. We have many different types of service plans including our fast Time & Material Service Express, our low-cost Annual Service Contracts, and/or our fast-turn-around Depot Repair. Many of our clients utilize a combination of our services. I should also mention that even if you only have a “not so serious” printing issue, you can also give us a call. We would be glad to discuss with you, at no charge, some possible solutions. As you can see from the list above, your problem may be a simple issue or a complex problem, including the printer itself or in combination with the types of media (paper and ribbons) that are being used. With any more questions you can always call MIDCOM at (800) 643-2664 or chat us up on
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