Product Differences

DTC printers print near, but not over the edge

Direct to card printing sounds like what it is – printing directly to the card’s surface. Max detail is 300DPI for DTC printers. Don’t use pre-punched cards or you could damage your print head, a very pricey repair. DTC printers work by heating the print head, then applying the heat to the printer’s ribbon, laying each coloured/monochrome/overlay panel in sequence to recreate the image on the card. DTC printers tend to be more compact, use less energy, and weigh less.

Pros

• Not as expensive as HDP Printers
• Good for text, a picture, or other ID elements
• Faster printing
• little to no warm up time

Cons

• shows dirt/oil on card more easily – Keep your card surface clean
• Cannot print edge to edge – although it can come pretty close, there will always be a thin white border around the card

HDP printers print over the edge

High definition printing is a little different – it uses 2 ribbons, an ordinary monochrome/colour ribbon and a retransfer film. It works by heating the print head(even more than DTC), applying the heat to the colour/monochrome ribbon, which will lay each ribbon panel onto the retransfer film. The retransfer film then gets applied to the card’s surface, allowing edge-to-edge printing, and sharper details. However, the increase heat means regular PVC cards could become soft while inside the printer, causing it to bend, warp, and even melt inside the printer. HDP printers must use a more rigid “comp” card. You can learn more about composite cards below, which are stronger, more durable, and will last longer.

HDP printers are generally larger, and weigh more. Max detail for HDP printers is 600DPI. As with DTC printers, do not use pre punched cards, as this could damage your printer’s print head.

Pros

• High quality, detailed, and sharp images
• Richer colours and blacker blacks
• edge to edge printing
• shows dirt/oil less – still best to keep card surface clean

Cons

• Takes time to warm
• Larger and heavier
• Uses Composite cards

Single sided printers can only print to one side of the card at a time. To print on the back, you must manually flip the card over, reinsert and print to the back of the card. This is fine if you are only printing a few cards, but for larger runs, dual sided printers save time.

Dual sided printers have a module inside that after printing the front, automatically flips the card while inside the printer, and prints to the back before ejecting your card.

The difference between our printers and our systems comes down to what’s included in your order. Printers are just the printer and included accessories(power/usb cable, cleaning cards, manual). Systems additionally include CardPresso XXS, 1 full-colour ribbon, 100 blank PVC cards, and a webcam.

Owning a card printer has both pros and cons. As well as selling printers, we also offer printer rentals.

Renting a Plastic/PVC ID Card Printer can be a cost-effective alternative to purchasing for a variety of reasons, such as when you only need to print in small quantities, if you need to print more cards faster, or only print seasonally.

To learn more about our rental services, please click here.