This page covers the most common technical-based questions and helpful troubleshooting tips relating to the Zebra ZXP Series 9 ID Card Printer.
To load cards into the Zebra ZXP Series 9:
You should clean your cards with certified Zebra products to maintain components such as the print head to ensure that printing quality remains unaffected. You should replace the X-Cleaning and Y-Cleaning rollers evert 5,000 cards, while a thorough Heated Roller clean should occur every 20,000 cards.
You can find the total number of cards printed and laminated by accessing the Printer Properties under the ‘Device Information’ tab on the OCP menu.
To initiate the ZXP Series 9 cleaning process:
When the above procedures are complete, the OCP will return to the ‘Clean Printer’ menu.
A card jam in the ZXP Series 9 will be reported on the OCP when a card fails to reach a sensor as it should do, or if a card bocks a sensor unexpectedly. The most common places for this to occur on the ZXP Series 9 is in the card path or in the transfer station.
To resolve the majority of card jams:
If your cards are suffering from light printing or missing transfer, you may need to adjust the transfer temperature. To do this:
The Zebra ZXP Series 9 is equipped with a digital display and three buttons that allow access to the main printer menus. You can use this for actions such as cleaning and printing test cards. The screen will also display important warning and error messages which can be found in the Zebra ZXP Series 9 user manual.
Print quality refers to the quality of text, barcodes and images that are printed on to the film. We run through a few of the main print quality issues here, and how you can go about resolving them.
If your ZXP Series 9 prints cards containing colours you don’t expect, there’s several things you can do:
Spots, speckles and tiny marks appearing on your card are caused by dirt, dust and debris in the printer itself. To resolve this you should carry out a thorough clean as outlined in the instructions on this page.
If the image printed on your card seems to have shifted position, you may have an image placement problem. To resolve this:
If your cards are printing with smears, it is probably because there is a sudden contrast between dark and light on your card design and the print head does not have sufficient time to cool. To resolve this:
When black text or image appears slightly blurred, there may be a problem where the text or image was not printed using the black printer ribbon panel. To resolve this:
Transfer quality issues refers to the quality of the transfer between card and film. An incomplete card may be a sign of a transfer problem. We’ve outlined some common transfer problems and potential solutions below.
If images are appearing incomplete on a printed card, it’s possible there is a problem with the transfer. It’s caused by a lack of sufficient energy during the adhesion process. To resolve this:
An imbalance in the energy applied during the adhesion process can cause cards to warp. To resolve this:
‘Flash’ is a byproduct of the transfer process and appears as small shares of transfer film. These may be clear or coloured depending on the card design being printed and can appear on the sides or top of cards.
To resolve this, adjust the image placement downward. Use the ‘Print Position’ adjustment feature within the ZXP Toolbox to do this. If this doesn’t minimise or resolve the issue, contact support.
Printer downtime can quickly escalate from a slight inconvenience to a business-critical issue. That’s why Digital ID offers best-in-class support packages to meet the requirements of all our customers. In-house technical experts are on hand to solve your problem, big or small.
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