https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhooI_e36G4

Problem:   How resolve ribbon breaking on a DTC1250e/4250e/4500e printer? Solution:   When printer ribbon breaks are observed please record the following and make available to HID Tech support: 1) The following printer settings (from the Settings self-test card or the Advance Settings from Workbench or ToolBox): Serial Number FW version TOF/EOF settings Ribbon Print Tension Image Darkness Resin Heat Adjust 2) Picture of failed card 3) Picture of broken ribbon ends – clearly laid out on table top with broken ends both visible in same picture 4) Ribbon % full from driver ribbon info tab (or observed from ribbon) On the printer, If the ribbon breaks, open the front door, carefully remove the ribbon cartridge (use the right and left LCD buttons to help guide the ribbon out if necessary)  Make sure all the ribbon is removed from inside the printer. This includes all (3) roller sets: 1) infeed 2) platen and 3) mag enoding roller.  Inspect the ribbon and determine where/how the ribbon was broken.  Tape the ends of the ribbon together using approximately one inch of Scotch tape.  Wind the spliced area around the Take-Up spool a few revolutions.  Reinstall the ribbon and power cycle the printer.  Make sure the card gets ejected.  Clear the print queue and any pending jobs Below are troubleshooting steps that users can try to resolve the ribbon break issue: 1) Check the firmware version via the test card printed above or via the LED Display. Make sure the Firmware is the latest off the website. 2) Adjust the ribbon print tension. Set to an absolute value of +8 (Set value) Note: This setting most effective for a Ribbon break that is not a clean/straight break (Ribbon appears shredded) 3) Adjust the standard resin heat adjust. Current value minus 10 (Decrease by 10 points) Note: This setting most effective for Ribbon break that is a Clean break on the leading edge of the overlay (clear) panel 4) Adjust the print TOF. Current value plus 10 (Increase by 10)  Note: This setting most effective for Ribbon break that is a Clean break on the leading edge of the card/ribbon panel 5) Adjust the print EOF. Current value minus 20 (Decrease by 20) Note: This setting most effective for Ribbon break that is a Clean break on the trailing edge of the card/ribbon panel 6) Adjust the image darkness Current value minus 10 (Decrease by 10) Note: This setting most effective for Ribbon break that is (Ribbon appears burned or melted. Please note: The ribbon can be fixed and does not have to be thrown away. Note: If a portion of the printer ribbon is severely wrinkled, cut off the wrinkled section of ribbon. Lay the ribbon spools on a clean surface with the Take-Up spool on the left, and the Supply spool on the right    Unroll several inches of ribbon from each spool.  The spools should be positioned so that the ribbon unrolls from the under side of the spool (see image below). Overlap the broken ends of the ribbon.  The colors of the overlapped ends do not have to match.  Keep the sides of the ribbon even.  Tape the ends of the ribbon together using approximately one inch of Scotch For a cartridge: Removed any damage/wrinkled ribbon.  Use a small piece of Scotch (or similar) tape to tape the end of the ribbon to the left hand spool.  You do not need to match colors. Stand the spools on end and move them apart until the ribbon is taut.   Wind the spliced area around the Take-Up spool.  (keep the ribbon taut while turning the Take-Up spool counter-clockwise.  When placing the ribbon in the printer, unwind the ribbon from the Supply spool as necessary.  To not unwind ribbon from the Take-Up spool to avoid printing over the spliced area of the ribbon. For a cartridge: Turn the left hand spool two or three turns counter-clockwise* to make sure the ribbon winds properly.  Return the cartridge to the printer.