New Contec ECG 300EG model no tracings appear on the EKG paper.

Ekg machines print on thermal paper, This means that the impression is made by the print head heating the paper. If the print head is not making contact with the paper, you will get a faint tracing or no tracing at all. This needs to be adjust by a technician. Contec is located in China and we are a dealer. If you need their info or want us to look at it for you (for free) simply give us a call

Discount Cardiology
805-484-9985

With over 3 decades servicing medical equipment, I would summarize the 3 most likely issues:
1) the (chemically treated) Thermal Paper is not fully in proper contact with the Thermal Print Array (print-head) for proper heat transfer to 'dicolor' (blacken) the 'waveforms' being written onto the moving graf-paper from the Roll of EKG paper. -try gently pressing the paper's lid while a faint 'trace' is in motion during middle of print-out process; and see if it dramatically darkens a faint trace. Alternatively (thereafter) - very gently pull lightly on the paper while it is in motion, but not in the way it would tear off, to see if contact is so light that paper slips..
these symptoms are more likely in older units with lots of 'miles' on them.

2) cheap or bad paper, poor quality chemical surface or excess heat during storage or transport.. try swinging a fast line with a metal-tipped un-open ballpoint pen across the red graffed side of the paper while it is directly on a hard smooth surface (like a formica counter-top or a clip-board)..

3) if these simple checks fail to identify the trouble, and the thermal Print-head is not occluded (e.g. from a build-up off of cheap paper etc.), which being relatively new should not be the case; then probably and most likely - the orint-head resistance or energy/heat calibration is incorrect or was set improperly (or not at all) from the factory (or it's circuit-board is failing)
. . . and if the manufacturer of inexpensive equipment does not even have a cheap .PDF user's guide and service manual on their web page; then getting it Calibrated again orobablywont be cheap or simple - -and you may well consider sending it back - - If they give you even 2mm of trouble to replace it with a new and properly Calibrated unit, you may wish to consider insisting on getting your money back and changing to a company that takes the manufacturing of diagnostic medical equipment more seriously than an X-box or a Nintendo - and I don't impune those companies' GMP or Quality Control and testing procedures.

Manufacturers do often show you what to expect of them. Not giving youthe info (nor, as has been indicated, making it (easily) available on their web site may or may not be telling you a lot.


Good luck, and remember the old saying . . . "when all else fails, read the instructions" . . . and also, "why wait till all else fails". For decades, organizations like JACHO and the FDA have required manufactures of medical devices to properly equip qualified medical personell with manuals and parts - these days it often seems like people just wait for the law suits before doing what's right ...