Ribbon tears / ribbon breaks typically occur because the printer rollers are dirty. Perform regular cleanings on the printer prevent this. 

To Prevent Future Breaks, perform cleanings

1. Perform a Manual Cleaning on the printer Evolis Altess: Manual Cleaning

2. Perform an Advanced Cleaning on the printer: Evolis Altess: Advanced Cleaning

            Take special care to wipe down the printhead fully    

Repair Torn or Broken Printer Ribbon

1. Pause or clear the print queue of any pending jobs

2. Turn off the printer by unplugging it

3. Clear out any cards stuck inside the printer. Clear our any bits of torn ribbon from inside the printer. How to clear jams  Evolis Altess: Clear Card Jams

            If the ribbon is stuck on a card, tug at it to unstick it. If needed, cut the ribbon and remove the card. 

4. Remove the ribbon cartridge and set on a flat surface. Find the two broken ends of the ribbon

 5. Use scissors to cut the ends straight, remove jagged ends and any crumpled parts.

 6. Overlap the ends of the ribbon, and tape them together using scotch tape

7. Roll the printer ribbon to the next yellow section, place back into printer

It is okay to tape the ribbon directly over the used sections of the ribbons.

Troubleshooting Guides

[Resolved Issue] Printer status says no ribbon, but the ribbon is in printer and shows "100% remaining prints"

If you are receiving the no ribbon error, you can check the black o-ring in the printer. Sometimes, when you print all the way towards the end of the ribbon, the black o-ring will jump out of the spool. Another reason would be the stud that holds the gear popped off the o-ring.

1. Open the left side of the printer

Ensure the stud that holds the gear and black o-ring is in place.

2. If stud and black o-ring is not in place, set and secure them back in the printer

[Resolved Issue] Ribbon not recognized

1. Check the container for any loose RFID tag

2. Place the tag back inside the ribbon tray > Lock and secure the tabs

3. Load your ribbon and cards back to the printer > Open the Evolis Print Center

4. When the printer status shows Ready, you can go ahead and print