Re: Need advice on ImageWriter printer ribbons

[jefbla@bconnex.net (Jeff Blakeney)]

ggonter@together.net (Geof Gonter) wrote:

>In article <57g0ql$7p7@news.bconnex.net>, jefbla@bconnex.net (Jeff
>Blakeney) wrote:

>>BTW, I opened one up and tried it out and it worked very well.

>Just remember MEI's ribbons use a water based ink. I use them, their
>retail arm, Micro Center, sells them as well. They do dry out extremely
>fast when opened and you need to run a ribbon with a lubricant in it
>occasionally. One article, in an old NAUG publication recommended using a
>better ribbon every fourth time. However, you can extend the life of the
>ribbon and the print head by 
>1. Prying the cover off when the print gets light
>2. Spray ribbon with WD-40 or CRC 656
>3. Replace cover and place in a sealed plastic bag for a few days (it'll
>equalize the concentration of ink)
>4. It'll mix with the ink and make it darker for a while and lubricate the
>print head!

>BTW, I have been doing this on My ImmyII for over 4 years (use about three
>boxes (2500 sheets) of paper a year) and I am still running the same print
>head.

Thanks for the advice.  I have no idea whether these ribbons have any
lubricant in the ink or not as the packaging says nothing about this
sort of thing.  They were "Custom Manufactured in USA for Radio Shack"
and don't mention who actually manufactured them.

I usually keep my current "good" ribbon in a zip-lock bag when it is
not in use and have an older, used ribbon for quick and dirty print
outs.  This keeps the ribbon from drying out as quickly.  Once the
"good" ribbon has been used sufficiently, I demote it to old and used
status.

I do like the idea of WD-40 though.  I have saved your message for
future reference.