A note on IBM ProPrinter 4201 ribbons

[clh333]

I acquired one of these printers in a package with a 5160 XT years ago and have been searching for replacement ribbons ever since. The OEM IBM ribbons fit but are all dry by now; the replacements, beside being cheaper and flimsier, never seemed to fit.

Cutting to the chase: The replacements - all that I've ever run across - have a hole in the middle of the drive gear that is supposed to mate with a gear in the printer but the hole is 10% smaller than the OEM. The ribbon cart is supposed to fit on a post next to the drive gear and secure contact with the printer drive. The smaller hole (6mm vs. 6.6mm) won't allow good contact so the ribbon doesn't advance and the printhead strikes the same spot on the ribbon with each pass.

A 5/16 or 3/8 drill bit will clear the way. Use vice-grip pliers to secure the take-up knob (on the top side) while you drill as the clockwise turn of the bit is the reverse of the ribbon wind. With the cart installed, once you have made good contact, gear to gear, you shouldn't be able to move the knob by hand.

-CH-

 

[Cyberstein]

Wish I would’ve read this earlier. I figured out the same thing on my ProPrinter II. Took me a few hours of the night studying to figure out what it was. I too found it was this hole that was a too small and had to drill it out. The ribbons I bought were from Amazon brand supplies Max. Which once I modified and got to actually work. Still sucked and printed very light. Even with the printer set to the darkest setting. Can anybody suggest a better brand that doesn’t cost $100 a ribbon?

 

[powerlot]

Why not re-ink the old ribbon? With stamp ink or WD40... or other black liquids:

 

[Cyberstein]

I’ve never done that before. I’m worried if I don’t get it right, I might mess up my printer. If I don’t find an alternative, I will try it. Thanks for the suggestion.