Warning ribbon in - Zebra S4M Thermal Label Printer

The "ribon in" warning is because you set the printer to print DIRECT THERMAL insted THERMAL TRANSFER. The first mode is for printing directly on the thermal labels, not for using a ribon. The ribon sensor detects that a ribon is pressent and you get this message. You need to change the printing mode to Thermal Transfer from the printer Setup Menu, or from the Print Driver instaled on PC.

That probably means that your Thermal ribbon is not correctly fixed on the spindle or not in the right inking. Normally on zebra printers the inking must be outside.
Check on your user's manual

if use ribbon, change the seting DIRECT-TERMAL to TERMAL TRANSFER, or run manual calibratio and sensor profile, save, turn off the printer, and on again.

If you're trying to print using Direct Thermal and you have a ribbon installed, the sensor will set off that alarm.
If you WANT to print using direct thermal, remove the ribbon.

If you want to print using ribbons change the Print Method in your front panel setup to THERMAL TRANSFER.

ribbon in means, you choose direct thermal print method which is printing without a ribbon and yet you print with thermal transfer print method.

just check on lcd panel , change the print method to thermal transfer. and make sure the setting on your driver is thermal transfer too, or else it will keep reverting back to direct thermal

that ribbon occures when you are set for thermal direct printing in the driver or printer and you should be set for thermal transfer in the driver in printing defaults off of the advanced tab and the printer needs to be set for thermal transfer in print method in the setup menu. thermal transfer is printing with black ink ribbon and paper and thermal direct is just chemicaly treated paper.

The printer is set to Thermal Transfer mode (uses a ribbon). You need to set it to Direct Transfer mode, so that no ribbon is expected. You can do this in the control panel on the printer. Must also do this in Windows, in the properties of the printer (Control Panel-> Printers.)

Good luck.

Malcolm

Make sure the ribbon sensor is in the proper position and that there is nothing covering it, like a piece of label that came off and got stuck to the sensor. Here is a picture of where the sensor is located. Did you make sure you put the ribbon sensor plate back in? If not you will get this message. Make sure the Print Method is correctly set! Although I exclusively use Thermal-Transfer (ribbon is loaded along with label stock) my 140xIII had Print Method set to Direct-Thermal and printed labels just fine. The only problem I could see was that the Ribbon In warning would not go away.
After changing the Print Method the warning went away and printing continues as before

Had the same problem with a ZM400. As stated in the User manual (can be downloaded http://www.zebra.com/id/zebra/na/en/index/resource_library/manuals.results.html?FRRBarcodePrinters=6882), warning "Ribbon in" is usually caused by the wrong printing method (thermal direct instead of thermal transfer [which should be selected for ribbbons]). My error disappeared after choosing "thermal transfer" directly on the printer. For network printers this needs to be set by an admin in the network settings for the the printer to solve the problem permanently.

Take the ribbon out and try it. The carrige also advances the ribbon, and if it is knotted up, thats the problem. Also. look for a photo interupt sensor along the edge of the carrige near the sides of the printer. Chances are, the sensor got dirty and it can not find home.