The most common support call that we receive for the Smart/Solid 30/50, 31/51 Series printers is due to incorrect ribbon placement in the cartridge. If the RFID tag is in the incorrect location the printer is unable to verify it, thus it believes there is no ribbon installed.
The 50/51 Series printers have an LCD panel that will display "Check Please...Ribbon Not Found"
With the 30/31 Series, there is no LCD panel, thus it just displays a red blinking light when there is an issue.
98% of the time these errors occur during a new printer installation or a ribbon replacement and the ribbon was not inserted/oriented correctly. Or in the case of an existing installation, the ribbon ran out (causing a blinking red light.) When the ribbon is changed to a new ribbon, it is often not seated correctly thus it still displays the red light or "Ribbon Not Found".
The first thing to check when a red light occurs on the 30/31 Series printers is ribbon placement. The correct placement should match the below picture:
The same thing should be checked in the 50/51 Series printers when the LCD displays "Ribbon Not Found".
It is important to note that the ribbon cores (spools) on the Smart/Solid 30/50 Series are Black. The ribbon cores (spools) on the Smart/Solid 31/51 Series are Grey, they are not interchangeable.
For a complete setup and installation tutorial please watch the following video on our YouTube channel:
As always, please feel free to chat with us, open a ticket or contact us if you need further assistance.
Our office hours are Mon-Fri 8:30-5pm EST
Support@idpnorthamerica.com
(401) 667-7443