How to Choose An ID Card Printer 5 Crucial Factors to Consider

1. How to Choose An ID Card Printer: 5 Crucial Factors to Consider Not all ID card printers are created equal. There are so many card printers available in the market that it may become overwhelming for you to select the right one for your needs. Instead of just looking at the price factor, you need to find out the capabilities and performance of the machine before buying one. Get help choosing an ID card printer with these expert tips. 1. Single-sided or dual-sided printer To simply put it, a single-sided printer prints on one side of the cards, and a dual-sided printer has the capability to print on both sides of the cards at a time. Dual-sided printers are generally more expensive than their single-sided counterparts. You need to provide one page of artwork for single- sided printers, but you need two files to print cards on both sides when using dual-sided printers. Single-sided printing is perfect for your basic card printing needs, where you want only a photograph and a small amount of text on the cards. If you have complex printing needs and want the front of the cards to remain uncluttered, you need dual-sided card printers to display additional information on the back of the cards. 2. Volume of cards per session or year If you have a small requirement of card per session or per year and don’t require advanced security or encoding options, a low-volume printer is a perfect option. If you have high production needs of ID cards, you should invest in a high-volume printer that can produce more cards per printing. 3. Security and Lamination If your employees or workers need to wear ID cards in environments where they will be exposed to sunlight, rain, chemicals, and dust, you must invest in a card printing machine that provides lamination capabilities. Corporations, healthcare facilities, educational campuses, and government agencies need card printers that have security technologies. If your organisation need to protect confidential data, financial information, patient records, and important documents, you need ID cards that have a more complex visual security solution. Choose a printer that helps you print secure ID & access control cards. 4. Magnetic stripes or barcodes Barcodes help to store information optically in parallel lines that are of different widths and spacing. Cards with barcodes are popular in places that have high customer traffic and it takes less time to scan a barcode. Magnetic stripes feature a unique serial number on a single stripe that can be read by swiping them through a magnetic stripe card reader. Barcodes are less expensive to print, so if you have high-volume printing needs, a printer with barcode printing capability is the most cost-effective option. If you want to print ID cards that can hold information like account number, employee or student number, dollar amount, etc., invest in a printer with magnetic stripe encoding capability.

2. 5. Quality of printing Printers using the same technology usually produce the same quality of printing. Most ID card printers boast great colour accuracy. However, different printers may use different printing techniques. There are thermal printers that can produce reasonably good quality ID cards at a minimal cost. Mass transfer ID card printing machines deliver sharp text and graphics as well as readable barcodes. Printers with dye-sublimation printing capacity can produce true photo-quality printing with bright colours. Direct-to-card or DTC technology-based card printers print digitised images directly onto the plastic card. Contact a reliable printer supplier and compare various printer models and their print quality. Conclusion With rapid changes and innovation in printing technology, it can be difficult to identify the best card printer for your needs. The best way to see how your ID cards will look, ask your plastic card service and printer provider to provide you with some samples. Also, do keep the aforementioned tips in mind to make a safer, smarter choice while buying a card printer for your organisation, company, university, school, or office.