A used ID card printer ribbon can still contain personal information from the cards you've printed.
If you print staff ID cards, visitor badges or other plastic cards containing names, photographs, ID numbers or other personal data, the used ribbon should be treated as confidential waste rather than simply put in the bin.
When a direct-to-card ID card printer creates a card, sections of the printer ribbon are used to transfer the photograph, text and other information onto the card.
Once that section of ribbon has been used, it can retain a recognisable record or negative of the information that was printed. This means a finished ribbon may still contain personal information even though it looks like ordinary printer waste.
Why does an ID card printer ribbon retain information?
A printer ribbon moves through the printer one section at a time as each card is produced.
The printer uses heat to transfer dye or resin from the ribbon onto the plastic card. Once that part of the ribbon has been used, the printer winds it onto the take-up spool and moves to a fresh section for the next card.
The used section can show where the colour, photograph, text or other information has been transferred. If you're printing personal information, that used ribbon therefore needs to be handled securely.
If you'd like to understand the printing process in more detail, read How Do ID Card Printers Work?
How should you dispose of a used printer ribbon?
Your aim is simple: make sure the information on the ribbon cannot be accessed or reasonably reconstructed after disposal.
Remove the used ribbon
Once the ribbon is finished, remove it from the printer and treat it as confidential material if it has been used to print personal information.
Store it securely
Don't leave used ribbons lying around or put them straight into general waste. Keep them in a secure location while they are waiting to be destroyed.
Destroy the information
Use an appropriate secure destruction method that makes the information unreadable and prevents the ribbon from being reconstructed.
Follow your company policy
Follow your organisation's data-protection and confidential-waste procedures, including any internal records or destruction certificates your policy requires.
What does UK GDPR require?
UK GDPR requires organisations to protect personal information using appropriate security measures, including when that information is being disposed of.
It does not prescribe one specific method for destroying an ID card printer ribbon. What matters is that your disposal process prevents personal information being accessed or disclosed inappropriately.
If you use a third-party confidential-waste company, make sure it provides suitable assurance that the material has been securely destroyed. Depending on your organisation's procedures, this may include a certificate or other evidence of destruction.
Should you shred printer ribbons in-house?
You can destroy used ribbons internally if you have suitable equipment and a secure disposal procedure.
Alternatively, if your organisation already uses a confidential-waste or secure-destruction provider, check whether they can accept used printer ribbons. This can be particularly useful for organisations printing larger volumes of cards or those that need formal evidence that confidential waste has been destroyed.
Whichever method you use, don't allow used ribbons containing personal data to sit unsecured while they are waiting for disposal.
Can you print cards without using a ribbon?
Rewritable cards are an alternative for temporary cards
If you're issuing temporary visitor badges or reusable cards, another option is rewritable plastic cards .
Rewritable cards don't use a printer ribbon. They contain a thermo-sensitive layer that becomes visible when heated by a compatible rewritable ID card printer.
The information can then be erased and the same card reused. Our current rewritable cards can be reused up to 500 times and print in either black or blue.
They're particularly useful for temporary ID cards and visitor passes, but they require a printer with rewritable technology and aren't intended to replace permanent full-colour photo ID cards in every situation.
Need a replacement ID card printer ribbon?
Once you've disposed of your finished ribbon securely, make sure the replacement is compatible with your exact printer model.
Ribbon codes are model-specific, so don't assume that any ribbon made by the same printer manufacturer will fit your machine.
The key point: if an ID card printer ribbon has been used to print personal information, treat it as confidential material until that information has been securely destroyed.
