Zebra Technologies 105Se Extend the Life of Your Printhead With Save-A-Printhead Cleaning Film

Extend the Life of Your Printhead

With Save-A-PrintheadCleaning Film

Challenge

The printhead is the most critical component in your printer, and possibly the most delicate. It is a consumable item just like the brakes on your car, which eventually wears over time. However, with ongoing careful attention and maintenance, you can extend the life of the printhead!

Below are photographs of three printheads. The first printhead is brand new. The second has printed over 1 million linear inches of thermal transfer labels and has been properly maintained. The third printhead has printed far fewer labels, but without proper care and maintenance, signs of abrasion and contamination build-up are evident.

New	Over 1 Million Inches	Less Than 1 Million Inches
	(Properly Maintained)	(Without Proper Care)

Preventive Maintenance

For optimum performance, clean the printhead regularly after every roll of thermal transfer ribbon or after every roll of direct thermal labels. Take care when handling or cleaning the printhead by removing any jewelry that may scratch the printhead and use a grounding strap or anti-static mat to discharge static electricity that could damage the printhead.

To start, only use the pre-soaked (isopropyl alcohol) cleaning swabs provided in the preventive maintenance kit. First, turn off the printer and open the printhead. Lightly blow or brush away any loose dust and lint particles within the print mechanism (i.e., rollers, media/ribbon sensors, and printhead). NEVER use any hard, metallic, or abrasive objects — such as a screwdriver — to remove adhesives or other contaminants that may have built up on the printhead.

Next, press the swab tip against the printhead and swipe the print elements from end to end. Then, turn the platen rollers while wiping them from side to side. Repeat this step until the swab no longer shows dirt.

54 Zebra S-Series User’s Guide