Before You Start
- Buy isopropyl alcohol, 95 percent or higher, and a packet of cotton buds. Water, tissue and counter spray damage the print head.
- Keep a small soft brush at the counter as well, for the cutter. A clean paintbrush or a dry toothbrush is fine.
- Switch the printer off and unplug the power cable before you touch anything inside it.
- Wait a few minutes if the printer has been busy, because the print head gets hot.
- Know how to open the cover, lift the carbon holder, and take the upper roller out. See Loading Labels and Carbon Ribbon.
Cleaning the Print Head
- Switch the printer off and unplug it.
- Press the cover-open buttons on both sides and lift the cover.
- Press the blue carbon-open button to lift the carbon holder.
- Take the upper roller out, the one carrying the used ribbon. Hold it, push it to the left until the roller button is pressed in, then lift it out along the exit line marked on the right.
- Rest that roller somewhere clean and flat, where the ribbon cannot pick up dust.
- Close the carbon holder again. The thin strip now in front of you is the print head.
- Dip a cotton bud in the alcohol and squeeze off the excess, so it is damp and not dripping.
- Wipe along the strip in one direction, from one end to the other. Repeat with a clean bud until no more grey comes off.
- Go over the strip once more with a clean dry cotton bud, then leave it a minute to dry completely. Alcohol that is still wet will ruin the next tag.
- Open the carbon holder, put the upper roller back with its hexagon end on the left, and turn it by hand to check it spins freely.
- Push the blue gear on the left until the ribbon is flat, smooth, and sitting in the centre where it touches the print head.
- Close the carbon holder and the cover until you hear the click, plug the printer back in, and switch it on.
Cleaning the Cutter
- Switch the printer off and unplug it.
- Press the cover-open buttons on both sides and lift the cover.
- Pull a little label paper up and out of the way, so you can see into the cutter slot where the tags come out.
- Brush across the cutter from the left side to the right side, and lift away any strips of label or paper dust. Check nothing is left sitting in the slot.
- Wipe the blade edge with a cotton bud dipped in alcohol, to lift the glue that makes labels stick and jam.
- Let it dry, pull the label roll back out past the gap sensor and the cutter, then close the cover until it clicks.
- Plug the printer back in and switch it on.
How Often to Clean
- Every time you change the label roll. It's a good, easy habit to keep.
- Every time you change the carbon ribbon, since the printer is already open.
- Once a week on a counter that tags all day.
- Straight away when a white line runs down every tag, or when labels start jamming.
FAQs
I cleaned it and the same thin line is still missing on every tag.
That is a burnt out spot on the print head, and cleaning cannot bring it back. The print head is a replaceable part, so your supplier can fit a new one. Send us a photo of the tag first and we will confirm it is the printer and not your tag layout.
Can I use the alcohol wipes we keep at the counter?
No. Those wipes hold water and perfume, which leave a film on the strip and can corrode it. Only isopropyl alcohol at 95 percent or higher, on a cotton bud.
Is a new print head covered by my EasyBiz subscription?
No. Your subscription covers the POS and our support. The printer is yours, bought from a supplier, so parts and repairs go through them. Tell us the model and we will confirm the replacement still works with the POS.
My receipt printer prints faint too. Does this clean it?
A receipt printer has a print head and cleans the same way, with no ribbon to lift. Faint receipts are usually the paper rather than dirt, so see Receipt Printer Will Not Print first.
Labels jam at the cutter every time, even after cleaning it.
Check the roll is pulled right past the gap sensor and the cutter, and that the paper guides sit against both edges of the roll. If it still jams on every tag, the label size does not match the size your tag layout was drawn for. Send us the label size on the box.
What's Next
The printer is clean, so if tags are still faint, crooked or cut off at the top, the settings need a look. Continue to Blurry or Misaligned Labels.