Choosing the Right ID Card Printer for Your Business

Using ID card systems is a great way to improve security and streamline access for authorized personnel. Before one of our customers can implement an ID card system, however, they need ID cards. Producing ID cards can easily be done on site, but this requires an ID card printer. 

There are many different types of ID cards and an equally varying number of ID card printers to produce them. As such, our customers need to carefully consider the type of ID card printer that will suit their unique needs. The three factors that you need to consider when choosing an ID card for your business are capability, quality and speed.

1. Capability

Capability is number one on our list because it is the most important factor to consider when choosing an ID card printer (if the printer can’t complete the basic task that you need it to do, then it is worthless to you). Here is how you determine whether or not a printer’s capabilities meet your needs:

Single or double-sided printing

If you only plan on printing on one side of your ID cards, then this is not an issue, because single and dual-sided ID card printers will work just fine for you. If, on the other hand, you need to print on both sides of your organization’s ID cards, then you need to make sure that your printer has double-sided printing capabilities.

Colour versus black and white printing

Not all ID card printers have colour printing capabilities. You need to actively seek out a colour ID card printer if you need to have ID cards in full colour.

ID card encoding capabilities

Chances are that you plan on investing in a complete ID card system to scan your employees’, students’ and/or visitors’ ID cards. However, if your actual ID cards don’t work with your system, then it will all be for naught. To accommodate your organization’s unique needs, different ID card printers can encode using different technologies. Whether you plan on using a magnetic stripe, EMV or some other ID card technology, you need to make sure that your printer can produce ID cards with those capabilities.

2. Production rates

In addition to having ID cards that work, you need to have enough available for everyone who needs to use one. To that end, you need to make sure that your chosen ID card printer can print ID cards fast enough to suit your needs. If, for example, you need thousands of ID cards to be printed for your entire staff or a constant influx of students, then you should invest in an ID card printer that can produce hundreds of ID cards in a single day. If, on the other hand, your total ID card needs are moderate, then you should consider price over printing rate.

3. Quality

You also need to consider how durable and aesthetically pleasing you want your ID cards to be. To that end, consider the following:

Laminated printing capabilities versus no laminating capabilities

Lamination will protect your ID cards from all types of damage for a long time, so invest in a laminating ID card printer if you plan on keeping your cards for a long time.

Reverse transfer (re-transfer) printing versus direct-to-card (DTC) printing

Re-transfer printers print to the entire card, whereas less expensive DCT printers leave a less attractive white border around the cards.

Make sure that you choose the right ID card printer for your organization’s needs

Allow our team at Avon Security Products to help you make the right ID card choice. Contact us to learn more.

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