Fargo Recent Questions, Troubleshooting Help & Support

Confirm if theres enough supplies(ribbon,ink,blank badges)

'DTC' or 'DTS'? Sounds like it has failed and needs dealer service. https://www.google.com/search?q=Fargo+dts+550 ..

Assuming you have a color ribbon (#045410 YMCKO), then it is likely that the ribbon-type is set incorrectly in the printer driver. It should automatically set, based on the RFID tag attached to the ribbon. But this won't set automatically if your device security settings (Printer Properties => Security tab) don't allow you to "manage printer" and "manage documents", in addition to "print". You will need Windows Admin rights to change these settings. Safe-Card ID Services Charlotte, NC USA +1 704.535.5200

Hi there Go in printer setting & make the print density high. If not done then reset the setting & then try & let me know. Thanks.

Perhaps this updated Windows driver will help? https://www.hidglobal.com/drivers/14761

ERROR 273 does not come up in the manual but I might have nailed it. This error is a generic error which applies to several issues but most likely if you've just recently fiddled with the printer it could be a motor or other cable not connected. In my case I swapped out the laminator sensor and had forgotten to connect the cable back on the laminator motor. After I connected it all worked normally with no errors. Surely hope this helps someone out.

if it says initializing when you first turn it on and stays that way, you have a bad board, if you need repair of the unit, contact me.

Technically, that error number (122) is associated with "Ribbon: Wrong Material" error message, and further description of: "

The print Ribbon is not installed properly or has been damaged.". If you're certain the ribbon & film are loaded properly, and in the correct carriers, the next thing to try is a new ribbon and/or new film to see if the error is consistent. If new materials don't solve the issue, then it seems likely you're having a hardware fault of some kind, which would require service. If you're located in the USA, we are a servicing dealer for Fargo, and can help with out-of-warranty service. If outside the USA, or if the unit is still in warranty, consult your local dealer. Good luck! Safe-Card ID Services Charlotte, NC USA https://www.safecardid.com

That message indicates the printer logic-board cannot either cannot sense or can't get a confirmation that head in the lamination unit (#1) is raised. Things you can check: 1. Make sure you have the right power-supplies for both the printer & lam. unit. They should match, so fairly easy to check. Of course, make sure both are firmly plugged in. 2. Sometimes when powering on the printer/laminator, there's a timing issue where the laminator isn't ready to respond when the printer looks for it to be there. To check this, power on the laminator first, wait 5 seconds, then power on the printer. 3. Make sure that the printer and laminator aren't separating and are perfectly aligned. The connection between the 2 is a "finger board" that protrudes from one and interfaces with the other. If the printer and laminator aren't in proper alignment, it may interrupt communications between the 2. Other than that, it may require service for a bad head-lift motor. If you're located in the USA, we are a servicing dealer for Fargo, and can help with out-of-warranty service. If outside the USA, or if the unit is still in warranty, consult your local dealer. Good luck! Safe-Card ID Services Charlotte, NC USA https://www.safecardid.com

Power unit off. Take Power cord off the printer.
Remove Lamination unit at the connector.
Check it for obstructions.
re-install the Lam unit.
Power up the unit. I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/joe_8b8c2cd6ce148309

If it's a white line running lengthwise on the card, that usually indicates a bad print-head (scratched or electronically damaged in some way). What's curious is you state that it only affects the photo on the card. If you were to extend the white line left and right of the photo, are there other elements of the card that would be impacted if a bad print-head, based on your card design layout? Or is there nothing but blank/white space on the design in those areas? If you have other design elements that would be expected to be impacted, then I would check out your design in your software and see if there's an element that is inadvertently overlaid on your photo. Most badge programs have a feature where, if you right-click on an element, you can opt to bring that element forward in the layer-placement, or bring it to be the top-most layer (effectively hiding other elements behind it). See if you can right-click on your photo place-holder in your card design, and "bring to front" - does that help? If still stuck, check with your Fargo dealer about possible print-head replacement - that part is a warranty item, assuming you've been using the specified supplies and observing required cleaning cycles. Good luck! Safe-Card ID Services Charlotte, NC USA www.safecardid.com

Check your power supply to be sure it is the appropriate one for the printer. The original ones are 24V output at 3.75 or 5.0 amps (depending on age of printer). If the right power-supply, also try running temporarily while directly connected to power, rather than through a surge-suppressor. If your surge-suppressor is bad or weak, it could be limiting the power the printer can "pull". If neither of the above work, then you're almost certain to require service. It could be either the heater itself, or the heat sensor.

Hi, have you resolved your issue? I might be able to help if not! Let me know, Johnny

It could be the laminator has gone bad. It could also be a timing issue with the startup sequence upon power-up. As you'll note, there are 2 power-supplies for the printer with laminator - one for the printer/flipper, and a second for the laminator. When powering up the system the laminator is supposed to be ready and respond to a query from the printer during its startup sequence. If the printer is ready before the laminator, then you can get such an error. To check for this, plug-in/power-up the laminator about 5 seconds prior to the printer to see if the behavior changes and it now works. If results are the same, next double-check the connector between the printer and laminator to ensure there are no broken or bent pins or connector "fingers", and that the connection is secure. The gap separating the printer and laminator should be tight and even top-to-bottom as well, ensuring a good connection. Also double-check your power-supplies. They should be identical and, if a recent model, will have a small silver sticker affixed that shows the printer serial number on it (check the manufacturer's plate your printer/laminator for serial-number, and make sure your power-adapters match it). If none of the above resolve the issue, then contact your Fargo dealer for servicing or further support. If you don't have a dealer relationship and you're located in the USA, feel free to reach out to us! Good Luck! Safe-Card ID Services Charlotte, NC USA https://www.safecardid.com

The printers come from the factory pre-set with DHCP on, so it will take whatever IP address your DHCP server provides. If you need it to always be at a specific IP address, then you can use address reservation on your DHCP server and use the printer's MAC address to ensure it is always assigned the same IP. If you MUST set a static IP on the printer directly, you would first connect to your network and take the IP assigned by your DHCP server. You can discover this by scrolling through the built-in menus on the printer display screen, or by printing a test-card from these same menus. Then you can use that IP address to access the printer's built-in web interface using any web-browser from another PC on the same network and sub-net. If you need a userid & password to effect the change on the printer interface, check with your network admin or security admin, as they SHOULD have this info from the original printer purchase. Alternately, reach out to your HID/Fargo dealer for support with this. If you're in the USA, and don't have a dealer relationship, feel free to reach out us. Good Luck! Safe-Card ID Services Charlotte, NC USA https://www.safecardid.com

There are 2 series of the HDP5000 - those manufactured prior to 2013, and those in 2013 and forward. On the manufacturing plate (sticker) will be a serial-number, model number and manufacturing date. If your serial-number begins with A, or B0, B1, or B2, then you have the pre-2013 version. If your serial number begin B3 or higher (i.e. - B4, B5, etc.), it is a "2013 and up" model. The driver for the pre-2013 version is not supported with Windows 10, due to Microsoft enabling strict driver digital signature requirements. If you have this old printer and driver, AND Windows 10, then that might be your issue. If you have access to a Win7 PC, you can test for this scenario by downloading and installing the pre-2013 driver (aka the HDP5000 2008 driver) from the Fargo web-site (https://www.hidglobal.com/driver), and attempting to install there. If it is recognized under Win7 and not Win10, then that's your issue. However, if it also fails to recognize properly even under Windows 7, then it's likely you have a bad/broken USB port on the printer. Unfortunately this is an easy part to break, as it protrudes from the rear of the printer when connected, so bumping it or pushing the printer back against a wall or solid surface can break the port connection to the internal circuit board. Good luck! Safe-Card ID Services Charlotte, NC USA https://www.safecardid.com

First thing to check is to try a new ribbon & new transfer film to see if that changes the symptoms. If still the same after changing supplies, clean again using the long IPA-alcohol card from the Fargo #089200 cleaning kit - not just the adhesive/sticky card. If this doesn't improve the printing, then it's likely a bad or damaged print-head. Check with your Fargo dealer about the warranty status of your printer, or the cost for them to replace the print-head.

That error indicates a hardware error of some sort. It could be any of a failed o-ring, the hopper-lift motor, or a hopper-position sensor. As that model is long out of production and considered obsolete by the manufacturer, parts may be hard to come by for any repairs. The recommended replacement printer is the Fargo DTC5500LMX. If we can help you further, please just let us know. Safe-Card ID Services Charlotte, NC USA https://www.safecardid.com/ [email protected]

Usually when print is lighter or fainter than normal, and when all driver settings are at their normal/default values, the cause is traced back to a power issue. The most common power issue is users inadvertently having plugged in an incorrect power adapter - one that is not delivering enough (or proper) voltage and amperage. Late-model Fargo printers will have a small, silver sticker on the power-adapter, with a serial number that matches the printer serial number (8 characters, starting with a "B" for anything built from 2010 onward.The 2nd most prevalent issue is when printing a graphic image that contains text, and where the original image uses "thin" fonts and/or small pt. fonts, or the resolution of the graphic file is below 300 ppi. Any of these can lead to sub-standard text representation, as the image size is invariably manipulated to fit the available space on the printed card. Wherever possible, text should be laid-in directly with the badge design & printing software, as opposed to it being a "picture" of the text.Check our other useful tips at https://www.safecardid.com/blog