Why it's important to shred your printer ribbon

Why it's important to shred your printer ribbon

Personal information is retained on your card printer ribbon after printing

If you use a direct-to-card plastic card printer, you might not realise that all of the personal information for each card remains on the printer ribbon after its printed.

The way that printer ribbons work is that they literally ‘spool’ along the length of the ribbon each time you print a card.

They print the personal details required from one section of the ribbon, then wind onto the next section, leaving a record behind of the card that’s just been printed.

Hold the ribbon up to the light after you've removed it from the printer and you'll clearly see photographs, names and any other sensitive information you include on your cards.

Which means anyone picking up the used ribbon after its been discarded would be able to retrieve all the information of your card holders.

Ensure you meet your GDPR responsibilities

GDPR requires you to protect the data of individuals and their personal data.

Make sure you have a plan in place to ensure the information on your card printer ribbon is deleted effectively.

The simplest way is to pull out the used printer ribbon and manually shred it.

If you choose to go this way, make it part of the printing process, with an audit trail to follow. Capture the name of the person shredding it, and the date. GDPR requires you to maintain records of your processing activities and show they have been followed.

If you currently use a company to recycle your other office waste, they may also be able to recycle your printer ribbons and provide you with a certificate to confirm it has been shredded securely.

Get it wrong and there are serious penalties, particularly for organisations that experience data breaches.