7 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying an ID Card Printer

Printing your ID badges, visitor passes, and membership cards in-house has great benefits – from added control and convenience to overall cost savings. But with so many choices and options available, how do you know which card printer is right for you?

Before you start shopping, read our top seven mistakes to avoid when buying an ID card printer. Sometimes knowing what NOT to do is just as important as knowing what TO do!

MISTAKE 1: Buy a printer based on price alone

We know your budget is important, but make sure you get a printer that will do the work your job requires. While an entry-level printer might be better on your budget now, printing a large quantity of cards on a low volume printer will overextend the machine, likely resulting in expensive repairs down the road.

Talk with your ID Professional about what your cards need to do for you, including:

• How much information needs to be printed on your cards
• Will your cards need to store data in a mag stripe or smart chip?
• How many cards you expect to print

Quick Tip: Start with equipment that best fits your needs to maximize your long-term investment and get the most out of your ID card program.

MISTAKE 2: Choose a printer that can’t keep up with you

Some printer models are better equipped to print larger volumes of cards than others. If you know you’ll be printing a high volume of cards, make sure your printer is up to the task.

Quick Tip: One feature to look for in higher volume printers is the card capacity of its input and output hoppers.

Printers made for higher volume printing will generally have larger capacity ribbons and card hoppers, meaning you’ll spend less time refilling supplies and more time printing.

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The Best ID Card Printer

So your organization wants to have the ability to create ID cards in-house, and you’ve been assigned to find the best  printer. What’s the best ID card printer available? The short answer: there isn’t a “best” printer. Sorry!

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all Iprinter, there’s definitely a model that’s ideal for your specific printing requirements. But how do you know which one is right for you? It’s easier than you might think, because we offer a variety of helpful tools that will allow you to become an informed and confident ID card printer shopper!

A great way to initially narrow down your choices is to answer five key questions before you even start to think about shopping, namely:

1. How much information will cards display?
If you’re only including a limited amount of information on your ID cards – like name, photo, and company logo – single-sided ID card printers are the way to go. If you need to print more information than the basics (e.g., employee ID number, barcode, cardholder title, department, etc.), dual-sided printers are the optimal choice.

2. What about data storage on your cards?
You’ll want to choose a printer with encoding capabilities which allows you to add important information – like cardholder details or access privileges – onto a card’s magnetic stripe or directly onto technology cards like smart cards or proximity cards.

3. What type of card will you be printing to?
This is critical because the type of card you use dictates which printing technology that’s best for you. Retransfer printers are the logical choice as they use special technology for printing on cards with uneven surfaces like proximity cards or smart cards. For printing on basic plastic cards, direct-to-card printers make the most sense, but retransfer printers can also be used for outstanding visual quality and durability.

4. How durable do your cards need to be?
If your cards will be swiped through a magnetic stripe reader or be worn outside for extended periods of time, you’ll want to invest in a laminating card printer. Laminating ID card printers add a clear, thin layer to the surface during the printing process that protects cards from fading and also extends the life of cards.

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Those Looking for a “Good & Cheap” ID Card Printer

We get calls nearly every day from customers looking to purchase their first ID card printer. Many of them have the same goal in mind: “I would like to get a good and cheap ID card printer.”

“Good and cheap.” Those two words actually contradict themselves. After all, in today’s technology market, you get what you pay for. And if you focus solely on the price tag – and do not research what you’re purchasing – you will more than likely be disappointed with some aspect of your ID card printer system.

Before You Shop for a Printer

At the end of the day, we’re all consumers, and no one wants to spend more than is necessary. But as ID Professionals, we urge anyone interested in their first ID card printer or printer system to do some homework. Every customer has different needs and requirements, but here are a couple of basic questions you should ask yourself before shopping for an ID card printer:

• What type of card am I going to make?  (e.g., employee ID card, visitor ID card, gift or membership card, etc.)
• What information do I want to print on the card?
• What will a finished card look like?
• Do I want to print on one or both sides of the card?
• Will this printer work with a single workstation?
• Or do I want multiple computers to be able to use this printer?
• Will I ever need my ID cards to work with my time clock?
• Will ID cards be used with a door access system or application?
• How important is it for me to be able to make cards on-demand?
• Would it be a problem if my printer was down for a few weeks?