Zebra ZC100 and ZC300 printers use multiple ribbons. The most commonly used color YMCKO ribbon part number is 800300-250.
Ribbon Type | Part Number | Number of Sheets | Applicable Model
Color (YMCKO) 800300-250 | 200 sheets | ZC100 / ZC300
Color (YMCKO) 800300-350 | 200 sheets | ZC300
Half-frame Color (1/2 YMCKO) 800300-370 | 400 sheets | ZC100 / ZC300
Monochrome Black 800300-301 | 2000 sheets | ZC100 / ZC300
Mono-Black 800300-303 | 1500 sheets | ZC100 / ZC300
Double-sided Color (YMCKO) 800300-360 | 200 sheets ZC300
Mono-White 800300-309 1500 sheets ZC300
Mono-Gold 800300-306 1500 sheets ZC100 / ZC300
Mono-Silver 800300-307 1500 sheets ZC100 / ZC300
PVC card printers are primarily used for printing employee ID cards, membership cards, student ID cards, or access control cards. Depending on your print volume and requirements for image quality and security, they are suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, schools, or retail stores, primarily employing "Direct-to-Card" technology. They support duplex printing and card rewriting.
They achieve an excellent balance between performance, security, and durability. Suitable for placement on office counters or in space-constrained environments for printing access control cards or membership cards.
For high-end retransfer printers requiring "bleed" printing (full-page printing without white borders) or printing on non-flat cards (such as RFID cards containing chips), retransfer technology is recommended.
Technology and Purchasing Recommendations
Direct Printing: Low cost, fast speed. Minor white edges may appear; chip cards are easily damaged. Suitable for general employee ID cards and membership cards.
Retransfer Printing: Full-page printing, excellent image quality, protects the chip. Higher machine cost, slower speed. Suitable for high-end identification cards and chip cards.
Ribbon: YMCKO (full-color) is suitable for photo ID cards; Monochrome is suitable for printing barcodes or names.
Single/Double-sided: If the back needs to print terms of use or barcodes, it is recommended to purchase a double-sided model to save manual flipping time.
What is the estimated monthly card printing volume, and is it necessary to add RFID/magnetic stripe sensing functionality to the cards?
Card printer ribbons are essential consumables used to print images and text on PVC cards, membership cards, or employee ID cards. Ribbons consist of multiple color panels that transfer colors to the card surface using thermal transfer or dye sublimation technology.
Common Ribbon Types and Their Uses
Ribbon names are typically composed of letters representing different function panels:
YMCKO (Most Common): Contains Yellow (Y), Magenta (M), Cyan (C), Black (K), and a clear protective layer (O).
Uses: Suitable for single-sided full-color photo IDs, logos, and black text printing.
Features: The clear protective layer prevents abrasion and fading, extending card life.
YMCKOK (Duplex Printing): Adds a black panel (K) to the YMCKO.
Uses: Designed for duplex printers, printing full-color images on the front and only black text or barcodes on the back.
Features: More cost-effective than using two sets of YMCKO panels for duplex printing. Monochrome ribbon: Contains only one color (such as black, white, gold, silver, or blue).
Uses: Suitable for printing simple text, serial numbers, or barcodes, or adding personal information to pre-printed cards.
Features: Lowest cost, fastest printing speed.
Special ribbons:
Half-Panel ribbon: Only a portion of the panel is in full color, suitable for ID cards where the photo occupies only a small portion of the card, reducing costs.
UV/Fluorescent ribbon (YMCKF): Contains a panel visible only under ultraviolet light, used for anti-counterfeiting.
Scratch-off ribbon: Covers the printed content with a scratch-off layer, commonly found on combination lock cards.
Zebra: True Colours series supports ZC100/ZC300 and ZXP series
Evolis: Primacy 2 or Zenius series, offering High Trust high-capacity ribbons
Fargo (HID): DTC or HDP retransfer series (requires transfer film)
Storage Environment: Ribbons must be stored below 25°C and at 40-60% humidity. Avoid moisture or direct sunlight to prevent ribbon brittleness and breakage.
Cleaning Kit:
Important: It is strongly recommended to clean the machine after each ribbon replacement.
Zebra ZC300 requires a cleaning card; Evolis Primacy 2 has a dedicated cleaning roller and cleaning swabs. This extends printhead life (printhead replacement costs are extremely high).
Zebra ZC100 ZC300 ZC Series ribbon 800300-250, 800300-303, 800300-350AP, 800300-350, 800300-350CN
