Everest ink ribbons have a striped leader that help keep the printhead clean. When installing a new ribbon, do not advance the ribbon passed the striped leader. 

The striped leader can be used to clean persistent fine lines in prints. 

1. Install a new ink ribbon.
2. Allow the printer to initialize. The printer will use the black striped leader to clean the printhead.
3. After the printer is initialized, remove the ink ribbon and rewind it back to the beginning.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 three to four times.
5. Send a test print.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 until the line clears.