Seaory S28 Support

Use the Printer driver button above for Windows or Mac. Run the installer, then connect the printer by USB and turn it on. When the printer shows up in Printers & scanners, print a test card to confirm everything works.

On a Mac, if the installer will not open, go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. Company computers may need IT to allow it.

Most printers rarely need it. Update only if our support team asks you to, or to fix a known issue. Download it from Firmware update above, keep the printer turned on and connected by USB, and follow the instructions that come with the download.

Do not turn off or unplug the printer while it updates. If you would rather not do it alone, call us and a technician will run it with you over remote support.

All of them, including Windows 11. The Seaory S28 driver and Bodno ID Card Software both work on any version of Windows. Get them from the downloads above.

Yes. Download the Mac driver above. Bodno ID Card Software runs on Mac too.

The test card prints straight from the driver. No software or design file needed.

Windows: Printers & scanners › your printer › Printing preferences › Tool › Position Calibrate › Print Test Chart.
Mac: Printers & Scanners › your printer › Utility › Open Printer Utility › Print position calibration › Print Chart.

Step-by-step with pictures

If the test card prints cleanly but your cards do not, the problem is in the software or the card design, not the printer.

Ribbons made for the Seaory S28:

• Seaory 17031 Color Ribbon for Seaory S26 and S28 Printers - YMCKO $99.95
• Seaory 37201 Black Ribbon for Seaory S25, S26, and S28 Printers - K $99.00
• Seaory 87101 White Monochrome Ribbon for Seaory S25, S26, and S28 Printers $99.99
• Seaory 57021 UV Ribbon for Seaory S25, S26, and S28 Printers $99.00

Cards: CR80 PVC cards. Most badges are printed on 30 mil cards, like our Bodno CR80 30 mil PVC cards. Keep them in the box until you load them, because dust and fingerprints show up on the print.

• Bodno CC001 Cleaning Kit for Seaory S25, S26 & S28 Printers – Cleaning Card, Swab & Cloth $39.99
• Bodno Cleaning Roller for Seaory S25, S26 & S28 Printers (Seaory 16100 Compatible) $29.99

Run a cleaning card through the printer at every ribbon change, and right away if you see specks, dots or lines on your cards.

Take the ribbon out, then start the cycle from the driver. Windows: Printing preferences › Tool › Cleaning Tool. Mac: Printer Utility › Clean. Replace the sticky cleaning roller when it looks grey or stops picking up dust.

Full cleaning guide with video

• Seaory 17100 Ribbon Cartridge Holder for S Series Printers $59.99
• Seaory 10100 Printhead for Seaory S25, 26, and S28 Printers $599.00
• Seaory 16300 Ribbon Gear for Seaory S25, S26, and S28 Printers $29.99
• Seaory 19100 Smart Card Encoder for Seaory S25, 26, and S28 Printers (OmniKey 5127CK) $699.00
• Seaory 18100 Magnetic Stripe Encoder for Seaory S25, 26, and S28 Printers $499.00
• Seaory 17200 Output Hopper for Seaory S26 and S28 Printers $59.99
• Seaory USB-A to USB-C Converter for S Series and R Series Printers $12.99
• Seaory 16200 Card Moving Roller for S Series Printers $29.99

Not sure which part you need? Send us a photo and the serial number from the label on the printer.

Yes. The Seaory S28 can connect over Ethernet so several computers share one printer.

Ethernet setup for Windows and Mac

• 41 or 46: the ribbon is used up. The roll and its print count can differ by a print or two. Fit a new ribbon.
• 42: the printer could not update the ribbon’s print count. Check the ribbon information under Printing preferences › Tool, then try another ribbon. If it keeps coming back, contact us.
• 43: no ribbon found, or it is in backwards. Match the colored spool ends to the colors marked on the cartridge.
• 44: ribbon not supported. It was made for a printer sold in another region. Use ribbons from Bodno for your printer.
• 45: ribbon missing, usually after a tear, a worn spool gear, or a ribbon that slid off center on its spool (you may hear a clicking sound). Push the ribbon back to the center of the spool and check the gear. Error 45 guide
• 48: the printer cannot read the color panels. Calibrate the ribbon LED with the ribbon out and the cover closed. A normal reading is about 195. Error 48 guide
• 49: the ribbon is dragging or slipping. Check the spool gear for broken teeth, make sure the ribbon is not wound too tight and is the right one for your printer, then calibrate the ribbon LED.

Usually, if the tear is clean. Turn the printer off, lift out the cartridge, tape the break, and turn the spool to wind the taped part past the printhead before you reinstall it. Burned or shredded ribbon should be replaced.

A ribbon that keeps tearing is telling you something, and a new roll will tear in the same place. Common causes are a print running past the card edge, heavy dark designs, a worn spool gear, and printing on a card twice. Find the cause

Codes 10 to 1B are card jams, numbered by where the card stopped: 11 and 12 at the card input, 13 and 14 at the flipper on two-sided models, 15 to 17 along the card path, and 18, 19 and 1B at the exit.

Turn the printer off, open the cover and ease the card out. Then look for the cause: a card left inside when the printer was turned off, two cards fed together, a ribbon that stuck to the card, or dust on a sensor. Run a cleaning card afterward, because dust on the sensors also causes false jam alarms. Card jam guide

51 and 52: the printer could not pull in a card. Check that the card feed setting in the driver matches where you load cards, set the thickness slider to your cards, fan the stack so static does not stick cards together, and take out any bent cards.

5F: no cards were found. Load cards, and check the card-detect lever in the hopper is in place.

Card feed guide

• Use the USB cable that came with the printer, plugged straight into the computer. Skip hubs, docks and adapters, and on a desktop use a port on the back.
• Install the current driver from the Downloads section above (version 0.9.27.0 or newer).
• Restart the Print Spooler service in Windows, or restart the computer.
• Try another computer. If no computer sees the printer, contact us.

Driver and USB setup guide

Check the light on the power adapter first. If it is off, dim or blinking, the adapter is the usual cause, and we replace it. Plug straight into a wall outlet while you test.

Use only the adapter that came with the printer. Others can fit and still not supply enough power, which causes restarts, jams and Error 31 (the printhead lift did not reach its position). If it keeps happening with the original adapter, contact us. Power troubleshooting guide

These come from ribbon tension. Lines across the middle of the card: lower the ribbon supply tension by 3 (Printing preferences › Tool). Lines or color at the leading or trailing edge: raise it by 3. A wrinkled overlay: lower the overlay (O) heating energy a few steps.

Change one setting at a time and print one card after each change. Streaks and color guide

No. A card that has been through the printer usually has the clear overlay on it even when nothing printed, and printing on it again makes the ribbon stick and tear. Use a fresh card.

Three things, in this order: the printer driver, Bodno ID Card Software, then a test card. Activate the software with the code from your purchase email. If activation does not go through, see Activation & license help or call us.

• Your printer model and the serial number from the label on the printer
• A photo of the card or the error message
• Windows or Mac, and which version
• USB or Ethernet
• A screenshot of the printer information screen in the driver, which shows the firmware and driver version
• Your order number, so we can check your coverage, including TotalCare