Bodno A-Series Ribbon Tearing or Sticking to Cards? Causes and Fixes

Fix a problem·Updated Oct 9, 2026·4 min read

Bodno A-Series Help · Ribbon errors

A10A20A30A40 Pro

If the ribbon tears or sticks to the card more than once, a new roll will not fix it. Something is pushing too much heat or pull into the film, and where it fails tells you what.

The short version

Print the test chart. If the chart tears the ribbon, reset Position Calibrate and set L to +3. If only your design tears it, turn on Rotate 180°. Still tearing: ribbon supply tension −3, a new drive gear, and fresh plain PVC cards.

Start with one test chart

A tear is a symptom. The test chart from the driver tells you which kind of problem you have before you change anything:

Where:Printing Preferences › Tool › Position Calibrate › Print Test Chart
The test chart tears the ribbon tooThe print is running past the edge of the card. Fix A.
The chart is fine, your design tears or sticksThe design. Fix B.
Color smudges first, then sticking or a melted lookRibbon tension. Fix C.
Tears in a different spot every time, gear teeth missingThe ribbon drive gear. Fix D.
Only on some cards (coated, chip, reprinted)The cards. Fix E.
Started right after a printhead replacement, or cards look very darkToo much heat. Fix F.
Snaps the moment you close the cover, or winds backwardA motor or bracket issue. Contact us.

ABring the print back onto the card

If someone moved the print position to hide a white edge, the image can end up hanging past the card, and the printhead heats bare ribbon. Reset it:

Where:Printing Preferences › Tool › Position Calibrate › Reset to factory default

Print a card. Still tearing? Set L to +3, apply, and print once more. Then print the test chart and check that the 0 arrows meet the card edge.

BTurn the design around

When the chart and the built-in templates print fine but your card tears at the same spot, usually a photo or a dark block near one end, turn on Rotate 180° in Printing Preferences. It moves the heaviest printing to the other end of the ribbon pass, and on its own it fixed several of these cases for us. If it still sticks:

  • Reset image color to default.
  • Keep solid dark color off the very edge; a light border of 1–2 mm is enough.
  • Send us the file. We print it on the same model and tell you exactly what to change.

CEase the ribbon tension

Where:Printing Preferences › Tool › Ribbon supply tension › −3

Print one card. If it helped, leave it. If nothing changed, put it back to 0 and talk to us rather than going lower.

DReplace a worn drive gear

Look at the gear on the end of the ribbon spool. Missing or cracked teeth let the ribbon bunch up and tear. Fit an A-Series ribbon drive gear.

ECheck the cards

  • Coated or inkjet cards melt into the ribbon and tear it. Use plain CR80 30 mil PVC cards.
  • Reprinting a card that already went through the printer makes the ribbon stick. Always use a fresh card.
  • Chip and prox cards are uneven; see which cards work for settings.

FBring the heat down

If the tearing started after a printhead was replaced, check that the new printhead's serial number was entered in the driver. Without it the printer can run the new printhead too hot.

Where:Printing Preferences › Tool › Renew print head

Enter the serial number printed on the printhead and apply. If cards also come out very dark, lower the heating energy a few steps and print one card. Reset puts it back to the factory setting.

Where:Printing Preferences › Tool › Heating energy

When you put the ribbon back

Turn the spool by hand to take up slack, but leave it a touch loose rather than tight. Close the cover gently. In one of our cases the ribbon tore every time the cover was shut on a ribbon that had been wound tight.

Stop and call us if

The test chart still tears the ribbon after a factory reset and L +3, or a brand-new printer tears its first ribbon. That points to the printhead bracket, not a setting.

Parts for this fix

Bodno A5100 Color Ribbon, A10 (100 prints) $64.99 Add to cart
Bodno A5300 Color Ribbon, A20 / A30 / A40 Pro (300 prints) $94.99 Add to cart
Bodno A5500 Color Ribbon, A40 Pro (500 prints) $149.99 Add to cart
A-Series Ribbon Drive Gear $29.99 Add to cart
Bodno CR80 30 mil PVC Cards $14.99 Add to cart

Write to us with these and we can answer the same day

Most cases go back and forth an extra time only because we have to ask for these. Put them in your first message:

  1. The serial number from the label on the back of the printer
  2. Your model: A10, A20, A30 or A40 Pro
  3. A screenshot of the printer information screen in the driver (it shows the firmware and driver version)
  4. A photo of the torn ribbon and of the printed card
  5. A photo of the test chart
  6. Your design file, and the cards you are printing on
Call (732) 987-5300Email support@bodno.comSupport request form

Written by Bodno Tech Support from real A-Series support cases. Last reviewed October 2026.

Still stuck?

Tell our support team your printer model and what you see on the screen, and we'll help you get printing.

support@bodno.com·(732) 987-5300
Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 7 PM ET

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Questions about this

01 Can I reuse a ribbon that tore?
Often, if the tear is clean. Send us a photo and we will tell you whether it is safe to join. Burned or shredded film should be replaced.
02 Why does it only tear on my design?
Large dark areas and photos near one end put the most heat into the ribbon. Turning on Rotate 180° and adding a light border usually stops it.
03 Can I run a card through twice?
No. A card that has been through the printer has a clear protective layer on it even if it looks blank, and the ribbon will stick to it and tear.
04 How far should I change ribbon tension?
Try −3 first. Past about −5 the problem tends to get worse, so stop there and contact us.