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Making the correct ID card printer purchase for your needs is easy after critiquing your card printing requirements. When the following questions are reviewed, you can nail down your alternatives to the type of printer required.

Do your badges need to be printed in monochrome or full color?

With a color PVC printer you can print quality pictures and logos using full color. With the card printer, a four panel ribbon is used for each card printed whether the panels are used or not. It takes time for each panel of the ribbon to complete its pass through the machine. It is faster to print with monochrome printing and it is more cost effective. The card prints in about five seconds with monochrome print and with a single panel pass. The cost is much less due to less material used.

Do you need information printed on both sides of the card?

Dual sided printers allow the card to be printed with full color on the front and black printing on the back. It is possible to print full color on both sides of the card. Costs for a dual sided printer is more than a single sided printer. The costs of dual sided print ribbons are also more than single side print ribbons.

What is the annual estimate of the number of cards produced?

Some office settings may only product a few cards a month. Other larger organizations can require more than 20,000 cards per year. Higher production requirements narrow the field of printer options.

How long is the card expected to last?

Do to contact swiping of bar coded ID cards, they usually wear out more quickly than most ID cards. Most standard badges last about 2 to 3 years. In organizations where cards are highly utilized, it is worth considering adding holograms or lamination to the cards.

Holograms or overlays are additional panels in the ribbon that prints on the card. Some holograms have a specialized pattern on them while others are clear. Many of the custom patterns are necessary for security reasons. An example of a pattern can be found of most state driver*s licenses.

Lamination is a stronger protective process that applies vinyl to the card surface.

What security needs are important on the cards?

The advancement of printer technology is making security enhancements more cost effective than ever before. Basic identification cards, such as school ids, might not need any special security feature. A highly secure military area might need identification with multiple security features. Holograms, mag stripes, smart chips and other options are available for providing highly secure badges. Printer manufacturers place smart card and mag stripe encoders as options in most current printer models. Lamination stations that will provide secure holograms to the badges are also available on professional line printers.

Do your cards need to be smart?

Information can be stored in a bar code of magnetic strip on the card. Other applications may require biometric information to be encoded on the cards. Smart cards can streamline payroll information and provide door access to secure areas.

For professional consultation on printer needs, discuss the job requirements with a supplier of ID card products for current recommendations.