An ID card printer can deliver a lot of convenience and versatility. A high quality machine will remain in a good condition for a long period of time but sooner or later, you’ll need to make an upgrade. When is it time to buy a new ID printer? Here are a few signs that you can base the decision on.
Reduced Printing Quality
Reduced Printing QualitySeveral components of the ID printer will be responsible for fast and efficient functioning. They’ll also be determining for the quality of the final outcome. As these components age, the quality of the final ID card is going to deteriorate.
ID card printers that have become much slower over the years and the ones that don’t embed the image and the text on the card in the best possible way will need to be upgraded. On some occasions, it may be possible to attempt repairs. If this isn’t a viable option or if the repair is going to be an incredibly costly one, the time will be right to start looking for a new printer.
Lack of Compatibility with Current Technologies
Older ID printers are missing many of the characteristics that new machines come equipped with. While this doesn’t have to be a major issue, it can reduce productivity and make the printing process more challenging.
A contemporary ID printer will come with wireless connectivity, USB ports, several connectivity with peripheral devices possibilities, compatibility with new operational systems and security lock options. In some offices or organizations, such features will be of paramount importance for the effective printing of ID cards.
If you have a very old piece of equipment, you should definitely consider a change. A modern, efficient ID printer is rather affordable and the flexibility that stems from the introduction of new technologies will quickly justify the purchase.
Insufficient Print Speed and Capacity
Organizations change with the passage of time. Many of them will grow, which means that the old ID printer will become way too slow and incapable of accommodating for the company’s printing needs.
It’s a good idea to examine the print speed and capacity of an old piece of equipment. If these are insufficient, a change will be required.
Faster printers usually come with larger card input trays, which makes them somewhat bulkier. Such printers will make sense for bigger organizations that have more significant printing needs. High capacity ribbons will also be required to reduce downtime as much as possible.
A final convenience feature in this field is either a bin for cards with an error (that enables automatic sorting) or an automatic erase and rewrite option. Such features are particularly important for large organization’s that print numerous ID cards on a daily basis. Upgrading to such an ID printer will streamline the creation of the cards and save valuable time.
Poor Resolution
An older printer may have a lower printing resolution, which will impact the final outcome. While a lower resolution was the standard a few years ago, today’s ID card printers have gone a long way to ensure the quality of the printed images/text.
The standard today is 300 dots per inch or 11.8 dots per millimeter. Colours have also gotten a massive upgrade – the standard is 16.7 million colours for colour ID printers.
Printing technologies change rapidly and so do organizations. If you feel that you’ve outgrown the capacity and the quality of your current ID card printer, it’s time to consider a change. The good news is that the market has many beautiful and cost-efficient options to offer.
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