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What is “Ribbon Save” Mode? (And Why It Snaps Cheap Ribbons)
High-end industrial printers (especially Toshiba TEC and some Markem TTO models) have a feature called “Ribbon Save.”
It sounds great: The printer lifts the printhead when it passes over a “non-print area” (like the white space between two text blocks) and stops the ribbon motor.
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The Benefit: You only use ribbon where you actually print. You can save 50% on consumables!
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The Risk: It is a torture test for the ribbon.
The Physics of “Stop-and-Go”
In Ribbon Save mode, the ribbon motor stops and starts hundreds of times per minute.
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The Shock: Every time the head drops down and the motor kicks in, there is a sudden spike in Tension.
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The Failure: A standard wax ribbon with a cheap 4.5μm base film cannot handle this “jerking” motion. It will snap immediately.
The Requirement: High-Tensile PET
If you want to use Ribbon Save, you must use a ribbon engineered for it. Only Imaging Near Edge (NET) Series uses a specialized Reinforced PET Base Film.
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Elasticity: It has slightly higher elasticity to absorb the shock of the motor start.
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Back-Coating: Our back-coating is ultra-low friction to allow the printhead to slide up and down without grabbing the film.
Is It Worth It?
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Yes: If you are printing small text on large labels (lots of white space).
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No: If you are printing full-coverage labels. The wear and tear on the printhead mechanism might outweigh the ribbon savings.
Conclusion: Saving Money Requires Stronger Film
Don’t turn on “Ribbon Save” with a budget ribbon. You will spend all your savings on downtime fixing broken ribbons.
ONLY IMAGING is a leading supplier of labels, printing equipment and associate consumables, including TTR products in various widths and lengths. Please take the opportunity to learn more about our range of high-quality thermal transfer ribbons and explore our other products for any further questions you may have click Here.
