We'll sell you the id card printer that you need,
not what's on sale this month.
For over 20 years we've been selling, installing, and servicing id card printers. We know the strengths of each printer and can recommend the best model for your company. Very few online stores have in-house service on everything they sell. That's why we are authorized resellers for Zebra/Eltron, Fargo, Persona, Evolis, Magicard, and Nisca printers.
6 simple questions to help you choose an ID card printer.
Everyday our salespeople help people decide which card printer they need. Over the years, they have found that 6 questions will narrow down choices to a reasonable number. Try asking yourself these questions.
- Do you want to print in color or monochrome?
- Do you need to print on both sides of the card?
- How secure do your cards need to be?
- How smart do your cards need to be?
- How many cards will you need to print per year?
- How long do you need your cards to last?
1. Do you want to print Color or Monochrome cards?
With a color id printer you can create a beautiful full color card with a photo-realistic picture of the card holder. You are paying for 4 panels of colors and spending the time to print 4 or 5 panels (YMCKO). Monochrome printing is much quicker and cheaper because one panel is printed on each card. The average monochorme print is about 5 seconds per card.
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2. Do you need to print on both sides of the card?
With a dual-sided printer you can add information to the back side of your cards, like contact information, return to sender, emergency numbers, etc. The downside is time and cost. Each card has to be flipped (automatically) and then printed.
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3. How secure do your cards need to be?
The current push is to make cards as secure as possible. A grocery-store membership card doesn't need to be very secure, but a restricted area in a corporate research area might be very high security. You can add features like security laminates, UV ink, microprinting, mag stripes and smart chips encoded with biometric information. Check out card security features to see what you can add to your cards. Once you've decided which features you need you can choose the card printer that can provide them. Smart card encoders, and mag stripe encoders are added to the printer by the manufacturer. Laminated cards require a special station in the printer which should be determined before buying a printer.
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4. How smart do your cards need to be?
Today's ID cards can store a variety of information. It can be as simple as an identification number on a bar code or magnetic stripe, or as sophisticated as biometric information encoded on a smart chip. Beyond security concerns, the new generation of smart cards can open doors or sign employees in and out.
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5. How many cards will you need to print per year?
The average printer, like the Eltron P330i single sided printer can print volumes up to 30,000 cards per year.
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6. How long do you need your cards to last?
Card replacement can be a major factor in a large organization. Abrasive activities like swiping bar code or magnetic stripe card readers can wear on a card in a short period of time. With average use, a standard PVC card will last 1-2 years. You can extend that by using overlays and lamination.
Overlays are an extra panel on the printer ribbon that gets laid down on top of the card. The overlay can be clear or be printed with a security pattern or hologram. An overlay offers only minimal protection and will extend the life of the card one additional year.
Lamination is an application of vinyl to one or both sides of the card, applied with heat and pressure. You can use laminate of different thicknesses and composition, but a laminated card will generally last about 4-5 years.
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Still not sure where to start?
Getting started is often the hardest part. Give us a call, 877-876-9510, and we'll point you toward the right printer for your business. We have been helpling people buy the right id card printer for over 20 years.
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