Ribbon Problems

This table identifies problems that may occur with ribbon, the possible causes, and the recommended solutions.

For videos of some common procedures, go to www.zebra.com/zt200-info.

Ribbon Problems
Problem	Possible Cause	Recommended Solution
Broken or melted ribbon	Darkness setting too high.	Reduce the darkness setting. See Print Darkness for how to change the darkness setting. Clean the printhead thoroughly. See Cleaning the Printhead and Platen Roller.
Broken or melted ribbon	The ribbon is coated on the wrong side and cannot be used in this printer.	Replace the ribbon with one coated on the correct side. For more information, see Coated Side of Ribbon.
Ribbon slips or does not advance correctly	Ribbon tension is set incorrectly.	Change the tension settings on the ribbon spindles. See Adjusting Ribbon Tension.
Wrinkled ribbon	Ribbon was loaded incorrectly.	Load the ribbon correctly. See Loading the Ribbon.
	Incorrect burn temperature.	For optimal print quality, set the darkness to the lowest possible setting for your application. You may want to perform the FEED Self Test to determine the ideal darkness setting. See Print Darkness for how to change the darkness setting.
	Incorrect or uneven printhead pressure.	Set the printhead pressure to the minimum needed for good print quality. See Adjusting the Printhead Pressure.
	Media not feeding properly; “walking” from side to side.	Make sure that media is snug by adjusting the media guide, or call a service technician.
	The printhead or platen roller may be installed incorrectly.	Call a service technician.
The printer does not detect when the ribbon runs out.	The printer may have been calibrated without ribbon or without the ribbon loaded properly.	Make sure that ribbon is loaded correctly so that it can be detected by the ribbon sensor. Under the printhead, the ribbon should track all the way back, near the printer’s firewall. See Loading the Ribbon. Make sure that ribbon is loaded correctly so that it can be detected by the ribbon sensor. Under the printhead, the ribbon should track all the way back, near the printer’s firewall. Refer to the User Guide for instructions for loading ribbon. Calibrate the printer. See Calibrating the Ribbon and Media Sensors.
In thermal transfer mode, the printer did not detect the ribbon even though it is loaded correctly.
The printer indicates that ribbon is out, even though ribbon is loaded correctly.	The printer was not calibrated for the label and ribbon being used.	Calibrate the printer. See Calibrating the Ribbon and Media Sensors.