Cleaning kits are consumable printer supplies that you can buy for your plastic card printers to keep them dust-free and working at optimal condition.
Do I really need a printer cleaning kit?
Yes, you absolutely do. Many people don’t realize this but even the smallest speck of dust can cause substantial damage to a card printer. As you use your plastic card printer, tiny debris and other particles are carried through your printer rollers onto the printhead. Over time, they accumulate inside the printer causing spots and voids to appear on printed cards and badges. This significantly degrades the quality of the printed cards and in some cases, causes the ID printer to malfunction completely.
What is included in a cleaning kit?
Cleaning kits typically include:
- Cleaning pens or swabs – Used for cleaning printheads. May look like markers or Q-tips.
- Cleaning cards – Used for cleaning printer rollers. Presoaked in cleaning solution.
- Cleaning pads – Used to wipe dust and other debris from the insides of the printer.
One cleaning kit contains enough cleaning supplies for more than one printer or for multiple cleaning runs in a single printer.
Is a plastic printer cleaning kit cost-effective?
Printer manufacturers recommend cleaning your printer every time you change your ribbon. That’s approximately every 500 to 1000 prints. You can buy multi-use cleaning kits (10 to 25 cleaning runs) for as low as $11 or as high as $60 depending on your printer brand and model. If you print 50,000 plastic cards over the life of your card printer, you will have cleaned your printer for at least 100 times. That’s a total spend of around $110 in cleaning supplies for the entire life of your printer. Now compare that amount to the cost of having a printhead replaced, which ranges from $500 to $800.
While cleaning a printer regularly does not guarantee a 100% problem-free operation, it will definitely reduce incidence of printer malfunction and increase the lifespan of your equipment while also saving you money in the long run.
Where can I buy cleaning supplies for my plastic card printer?
ID Superstore carries genuine cleaning kits and supplies for all major brands of card printers. Check out the links below to find cleaning supplies for your specific printer:
For expert assistance in choosing a cleaning kit for your ID card printer, give our printer specialists a call at 1-800-667-1772. You can also schedule an appointment through this page.
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