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Updated October 9, 2026
Error 48 means the printer cannot read the ribbon. It is the most common error we see on the Seaory S25, S26 and S28, and it is almost never a dead printer. In our support records it came down to the same handful of causes again and again: a ribbon seated wrong, a worn ribbon gear, a ribbon LED that needs calibrating, or an LED bracket knocked out of place.
Work in this order and print one card after each step: 1 reseat the ribbon, 2 check the ribbon gear for missing teeth, 3 calibrate the ribbon LED with the ribbon out and the cover closed, 4 clean the LED and sensor, 5 check the LED bracket. If the ribbon is also tearing, the tear is causing the error, so go to the ribbon keeps breaking guide.
Fix it in this order
Turn the printer off, open the cover and lift out the ribbon cartridge. Check three things:
- It is the right ribbon: 11011 for the S25, 17031 for the S26 and S28. They are not interchangeable.
- The ribbon is not torn, twisted or wrinkled, and the leader is seated in its loop on the spool.
- It is snug, not tight. Over-tightening the ribbon before you close the cover causes tears and Error 48.
Seat the cartridge flat in its guides and close the cover gently. Never force it: a forced cover is the most common way the LED bracket in step 5 gets bent.
The plastic gear on the end of the ribbon spool drives the ribbon. If teeth are missing or the gear is cracked, the printer loses track of the ribbon and throws Error 48, and the ribbon often tears too. A worn gear is cheap to fix: replace it with a 16300 ribbon gear, or in a pinch move the gear over from a used ribbon core.
Take the ribbon out and close the cover first. Calibrating with the ribbon in gives a false reading.
When it finishes, reinstall the ribbon and print a test card. If calibration says it failed, run it once more. Two fails in a row point to step 4 or 5. Full guide: How to calibrate the ribbon LED.
| Calibration reading | What it means |
|---|---|
| Around 195 | Normal. Reinstall the ribbon and print. |
| Fails, but reads above 50 | The LED or sensor is dirty or slightly out of line. Steps 4 and 5. |
| Reads 0 | The sensor or its cable has a fault. Contact us; this is not a cleaning job. |
With the printer off and unplugged, wipe the ribbon LED and the sensor below it with a dry or lightly alcohol-dampened swab. Let them dry fully, then calibrate again with the ribbon out and the cover closed.
The LED sits on a small plastic bracket. If it has been pushed out of its notch, the LED points at the wrong spot and calibration keeps failing. With the power off, compare yours to the photo. If it is just out of its notch, press it gently back in place. If it is bent, cracked or loose, stop. It is a replacement part, and we will send it with a video showing the swap.
If the ribbon is tearing mid-print, the tear is what triggers Error 48, and calibrating again will not stop it. Follow Ribbon keeps breaking. It covers the print position, design and tension fixes that solved most of these cases.
Other ribbon codes on the S25, S26 and S28
| Code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 41 or 46 | Ribbon used up; the roll and its count disagree by a print or two | Fit a new ribbon |
| 43 | No ribbon found: not installed, or loaded backwards | Match the colored spool ends to the colors on the cartridge |
| 44 | Ribbon not supported (made for a different region) | Use ribbons from Bodno for your printer |
| 45 | Ribbon missing, often after a tear or a ribbon that rewound | Error 45 guide |
| 49 | Ribbon dragging or slipping | Check the gear (step 2), confirm the ribbon matches your model, recalibrate (step 3) |
Which step fixes what
| What you see | Most likely cause | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Error 48 right after a ribbon change | Ribbon seated wrong or too tight | Step 1 |
| Ribbon slips or tears, gear looks chewed | Worn ribbon gear | Step 2 |
| Error 48 on a new ribbon, ribbon looks fine | LED needs calibrating | Steps 3–4 |
| Calibration fails every time | LED bracket out of place or damaged | Step 5 |
| Error 48 after the ribbon tears mid-print | Print position, design or tension | Broken ribbon guide |
| Ribbon winds backwards when you close the cover | Ribbon motor | Error 45 guide |
Supplies for this job
Send these with your first message and we can skip a round
Most support cases take an extra day only because we have to ask for these. Attach them up front and we can usually give you the next step the same day.
- Printer model and serial number (label on the back of the printer)
- A screenshot of the printer information screen in the driver (firmware and driver version)
- A photo of the test chart (how to print it)
- A photo of the ribbon where it broke or stuck, and of the printed card
- Your card design file, and what cards you are printing on
- A short phone video of the problem happening, if it is a noise, a jam or a restart
Guide prepared with Seaory after-sales engineering from real Bodno support cases. Updated October 9, 2026. Applies to Seaory S25, S26 and S28 sold by Bodno. For the R330 or R660, contact support.
Tell our support team your printer model and what you see on the screen, and we'll help you get printing.
