Identification cards have become a vital part of businesses today. You can use barcodes, magnetic stripes, RFID, and smart cards technologies on an ID cards for improved security and traceability. A typical ID card may include an employee’s name, Job title, department and a photo making it easier to identify the person. This helps to identify who is who and if a new employee needs some assistance, by having a look at the ID card he can easily identify the person. ID cards and ID card printers play a major role in in tracking every individual entering and existing organisation’s premises.

What are the benefits of using ID Cards?

ID Cards can be used in a variety of ways to help business protect themselves, increase security and awareness, build relationships and streamline their operations.

ID cards can increase the security of the business in many ways. This can make it easy for security personnel to quickly identify each employee or visitor minimising workplace theft. By restricting access to certain employees, companies are able to reduce the possibility of unauthorized visitors entering the building. To add extra security features, ID cards can be embedded with magnetic strips and RFID tags.

Also by adding a magnetic stripe imprinted with a pass code it can do more than simply increasing security. By assigning a passcode to each card, a company will be able to keep track of employees in and out times, equipment facility usage, which will improve employee accountability.

ID Cards can improve customer relationship by creating personalised membership cards. If a company choose to offer discounts or special deals, customer loyalty cards can also serve as a way to trace customer loyalty and buying habits. Using ID Cards for employees, contractors and visitors can also makes your organisation appear more professional.

How to choose an ID card printer

There is a large variety of ID card printers with different options on the market to best suit your needs. Before buying an ID card printer it’s vital you understand the options and features of the printer and asses your current and future card printing needs. Decide if it needs to be single sided or double sided, full or single colour printing and image quality.

Print Volume

Estimate how many cards you will print per day or per year. For businesses with medium to high-volume print jobs it’s good to invest in higher specification printer in order to save on labour cost and supply cost.

Single or dual sided printing

Single sided printers are used for simple card applications which contain limited card holder information. Single sided printers are ideal for simple photo IDs, or applications where you are using a pre-printed card that simply needs to print a name, barcode or a number. Dual sided ID card printers allow for both sides of the card to be printed on at the same time. These printers are ideal when a significant amount of data needs to be captured on the card. By moving some of the information to the back of the card, the front of the card remains uncluttered.

Laminating

Some ID card printers will offer built in or add-on laminators to protect the print on the card from fading and wearing off. Cards without lamination usually last up to 1 to 2 years with everyday usage. For more security and for the durability of the cards, Lamination is recommended. A variety of holograms can be applied to your card before laminating them for extra security.

Encoding options

Encoding options are available for most ID card printers. Most ID Cards today have multiple ways of identifying the user beyond the photo. Barcodes are the easiest encoding options, with the options of 1D or 2D barcodes, you can encode a variety of information. Magnetic stripe is a black stripe on the back of your card similar to the one you see in a credit card. There are blank cards that have magnetic strip on the back of the card ready to be encoded. They are capable of storing data on the magnetic material. It is read by physical contact when swiped past a magnetic card reader.

Budget

It is helpful when you have a pre-determined budget range when evaluating printers. The price of an ID card printer can vary from $1000 to $10000. Before selecting the model, consider how often you will use the printer and what are the features needed in the printer.

Other consideration

Take size of the ID card printer into consideration. You don’t want another machine cluttering up your office. So take into account how much room you have to work with and how often you will be using the printer.

ID card printers are one of the most important components in an ID card system. It has become a crucial part of business today making it possible to simplify employee and visitor identification and enhance a company’s integrity and security. Choosing an ID card printer can be easy or difficult depending on your needs and requirements. Purchasing an ID card printer is an investment and probably not one that you want to repeat if you end up with the wrong product. Hence it’s important to consider the options before making a selection. Just like any other piece of office equipment, card printers require regular cleaning, servicing and maintenance. Regular maintenance will ensure your ID card printer will give you years of trouble free service.