Can I use a ribbon narrower than the label?

Avoid it. The Zebra ZT411 can take ribbons narrower than 51 mm as long as they are wider than the label, and even then, test print on the actual label before use. A ribbon narrower than the label wears out the uncovered part of the printhead early.

The ribbon ran out, but the printer keeps printing.

On the Bixolon SLP-TX400, the ribbon sensor is off at shipment, so it stops only after you turn the sensor on by command or with the setup utility. On the Zebra ZT411, this happens when the sensor was calibrated without a ribbon or the ribbon was loaded so it does not pass over the sensor, so reload the ribbon and calibrate the sensor.

How does the printer detect the end of the ribbon?

The ribbon end sensor on the TSC TTP-243 Pro looks for a 250 mm transparent polyester film attached to the end of the ribbon. When the transparent part passes, it recognizes that the ribbon has run out, so ribbons without a transparent end are not detected by this sensor.

The ribbon wrinkles during printing.

On the Zebra ZT411, there are five causes: the ribbon is loaded incorrectly, darkness and speed do not match, printhead pressure is uneven, the media feeds in while shifting side to side, or the printhead or platen roller is not properly installed. Reload the ribbon, lower the darkness, set the media guides against the edge of the media, and if it still wrinkles, have the service center check the installation.

Thermal transfer ribbon types: wax, wax/resin, and resin differences and how to choose

Thermal transfer ribbons come in 3 grades by ink composition: wax, wax/resin, and resin. Paper labels pair with wax, coated paper and matte synthetic labels with wax/resin, and synthetic labels exposed to chemicals, high heat, or outdoor conditions with resin.

After deciding the grade, match the ribbon width set for each printer, such as 51-110 mm on the ZT411, and the ink side direction.

Comparison of the 3 grades: wax, wax/resin, and resin

Item	Wax	Wax/resin	Resin
Matching labels	Paper	Coated paper, matte synthetic	All synthetics, some coated labels and tags
Chemical exposure	Almost none	Moderate to severe	Severe to extreme
Other conditions	High-speed printing (up to 12 ips)	Smudge and scratch resistance	Extreme heat, harsh outdoor use

Wax ribbons suit high-speed printing at 12 inches (305 mm) per second but are weak against chemicals and abrasion; moving from wax/resin to resin, resistance to chemicals, abrasion, and heat increases.

Recommended uses for 6 Zebra ribbons

If the grade name alone makes it hard to choose, look at the recommended uses by product number, such as 1600, 6100, and 5100. The 4800 is sold only in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Grade and product	Recommended uses
Wax 1600	Shelf and pallet scan labels, receiving and shipping labels, inventory tracking
Wax 2100	Product labels scanned repeatedly, pharmacy labels, packaging that needs some scratch resistance
Wax/resin 6100	Labels exposed to solvents and chemicals, harsh outdoor labels, labels exposed to water, steam, acids, and alkalis
Wax/resin 3200	Outdoor tags for wire, cable, and machined parts, shipping labels that need scratch resistance, pharmacy labels
Resin 4800	Paper packaging labels that pass through heat shrink tunnels, labels for surgical instruments that go into autoclaves
Resin 5100	High-heat sites such as steelmaking and printed circuit boards, outdoor asset tracking

Resin 4800 is also matched with Zebra coated paper labels. For paper packaging labels that pass through heat shrink tunnels, use resin 4800 even though the label is paper.

The 4 layers of a ribbon and the backcoat

From the printhead side, a ribbon has 4 layers: backcoat, base film, release layer, and ink layer. The thickest layer is the base film; the Zebra 6100 wax/resin ribbon has a 4.5 µm base film and a total thickness of 7.1 µm.

Of the 4 layers, the backcoat that touches the printhead protects it from heat, static, and friction. With a poor backcoat, the ink layer contacts the printhead and blocks the heating elements, or friction with the printhead damages it and builds up static.

Wooju OA ribbons W-220, W-128, and W-324

Our ribbons come in three grades: W-220 (wax), W-128 (wax/resin), and W-324 (resin). The length specifications are the same, so moving up from W-220 to W-324 keeps the same ribbon change interval.

W-220 is a 300 m roll matched to art paper and synthetic (YUPO) labels. One roll of W-220 prints about 5 rolls of our labels; for stronger printing, move up to W-128, and for the strongest, W-324. All three grades are wound with the ink side on the outside of the roll, and the label on the end of the roll is marked OUTSIDE.

Ribbon width, length, and ink side direction for 6 printers

Printer	Ribbon width	Max length	Ink side
Zebra ZT411	51-110 mm	450 m	Outside (inside with optional spindle)
Zebra ZT231	40-110 mm	450 m	Outside
TSC TE210	40-110 mm	300 m (1-inch core)	Outside
TSC MH241	25.4-114.3 mm	600 m	Outside and inside
Honeywell PC45t	25-110 mm	300 m	Outside and inside
Bixolon SLP-TX400	33-110 mm	300 m (1-inch core)	Outside

Use a ribbon the same width as or wider than the label, such as a 110 mm ribbon for a 100 mm wide label. If the width falls short, part of the printhead touches the label surface directly and wears out first; printhead care is covered separately in printhead cleaning.

Tests for checking ink side direction

If the end of the roll has no marking such as OUTSIDE, check with one of the two tests below. If the result shows an inside coating, repeat it on the other side of the roll to confirm.

Test	What you need	Ink side out	Ink side in
Adhesive test (also works on a loaded ribbon)	1 label with the liner removed	Stick it to the outer surface of the roll and peel it off; ink comes off on the label	No ink on the label
Scratch test	1 sheet of white paper	Place the outer surface against the paper and scratch the back with a fingernail; a mark is left on the paper	No mark on the paper

Loading a ribbon with the ink side reversed on the ZT411 makes the ribbon break or melt. On the ZT411, darkness set too high also burns the ribbon with the same symptom, so lower the ZT411 darkness first before changing the ribbon.