Idesco Corporation Blog

In today’s busy event spaces—trade shows, conferences, concerts, etc.—badging is more than a check-in ritual. It’s a first impression, a security layer, and a way to streamline attendee management. Standard badge sizes work, but oversized ID badges bring extra visibility, authority, and flexibility. That’s why Idesco offers a lineup of oversized ID card printers, designed specifically to give event planners and security professionals more power and presence right at the registration desk.

ID card solutions have become a necessity in schools today and are continuing to grow in popularity. As schools re-open this fall and the school year begins, administrators need to ensure they have the right ID Card solutions ready to go. Schools use ID badges to improve security and manage access to different areas of the campus. Student ID cards can include a photo, name, and other identifying information. They can also be programmed to allow access to certain buildings, classrooms, or other areas. This helps prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the campus and keep students safe and secure. By implementing an ID Card solution, schools can prevent threats to student safety by requiring that all faculty/staff, students, and visitors wear a valid identification card.

Schools are rewriting the lesson plan when it comes to security and safety. With a myriad of threats facing K-12 schools and college campuses, controlling access is a necessity. It’s important that schools invest in a layered security approach that consists of back-up systems. A truly secure campus will deploy an integrated security system that includes the latest in access control technology, video surveillance, and visitor management. Today, students are receiving access to more locations and amenities on schools grounds, which is creating a need for not only ID Cards, but mobile credentials. Mobile credentials offer several potential benefits for school safety and physical security, including convenience, cost savings, enhanced security, and contactless technology. 

The healthcare industry is under attack with violence escalating at an alarming rate. The industry is seeing an increase in threats against healthcare workers and looking for ways to be proactive and protect its staff and patients.In fact, The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the rate of injuries from violent attacks against medical professionals grew by 63% from 2011 to 2018, and hospital safety directors say that aggression against staff escalated as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified in 2020. Healthcare workers are experiencing a surge in workplace violence rates nationally, and hospitals are looking for cost-effective ways to combat it. A nationwide survey conducted by National Nurses United (NNU), the nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses, found that the majority of nurses have experienced workplace violence and nearly half have seen a rise in rates in the past year.

It’s a known fact that government agencies across the U.S. require a higher level of security due to the amount of sensitive information they keep on file. They must maintain control over their public facilities and require more stringent security practices than the normal building. With constant risks of attempted forgery and tampering, government agencies must ensure that only authorized personnel have access to public records and their facilities. A great way to take control and bring security to the next level is investing in a fully comprehensive ID card solution. Most agencies today are implementing an ID card policy to help ensure confidential information stays private.

Are you unsure whether to take the next step and upgrade your ID card printer? Today, ID card solutions are used by a variety of vertical markets and Idesco has been on the forefront of customizing those solutions for a wide range of industries. From stadiums to schools, hospitals, hotels, and office buildings; ID badges are being used to not only improve security; but help streamline operations and improve overall efficiency.

More organizations are looking for ways to achieve greater sustainability than ever before. Finding and using environmental-friendly products in their daily operations is the first step that a business can take to help protect our planet in the long run. With a strong focus on reducing environmental impact in our society, a great place to start is with oversized ID card printing supplies. These oversized cards are typically used at large-scale events to help keep unauthorized individuals out of a sporting event,

When it comes to card printers, several brands are known for producing high-quality devices. But which one is the best one? Is there such a thing? It's important to note that the "best" card printer for you will depend on your specific requirements, such as the volume of cards you need to print, the desired print quality, encoding capabilities, and budget. Let’s look at what is available on the market.

Mobile credentials, or the use of smartphones or other mobile devices to access secure areas, are increasingly being considered as an alternative to traditional keycards and ID badges in schools. However, while mobile credentials offer several advantages, such as convenience and cost savings, there are also potential drawbacks to their use. To help aid schools in improving safety measures, we will explore the pros and cons of using mobile credentials for school safety and physical security.

Property managers are always looking for new ways to keep their residential and office buildings secure. With the increase in crime rates, it has become more important than ever to ensure the safety of people. One way in which property managers are enhancing their security measures is by using ID cards. 

ID cards can increase a healthcare facility’s security by properly identifying doctors, nurses, staff, visitors, patients, vendors, contractors, and more. They can also help you streamline operations and improve efficiency by automating processes with the latest technology. 

The ID Card Solutions industry has seen its fair share of changes over the years. Prior to the pandemic, the industry saw a surge of demand in the event industry as event planners were looking for ways to identify visitors, catering & service staff, security personnel, media representatives and VIP’s quickly even across a large venue or room. Being able to identify who works at an event can also help in emergency situations where an attendee may be looking to report an incident. However, during the pandemic we saw a drop due to the cancellation of live events.  

How can Stadiums/Venues benefit from Oversized Badges? With the return of events, we are seeing large crowds of people once again attending stadiums, theaters, and other arenas.  Going back to normalcy does not come without its own set of challenges. The existing security challenges that were present before the pandemic are still out there. 

With the return of school this fall, the time has come for the lazy days of summer to come to an end.  As students prepare to go on to the next grade level, administrators should also be graduating on to the next level when it comes to security. Schools need to use the summer months to prepare for the return of students and staff and implement new security and visitor management measures. 

Most states require that all licensed, certified, and registered healthcare providers wear a photo identification badge stating their name and professional license, certification, or registration. This helps healthcare professionals easily be identified by administrators, visitors, and patients. 

Now more than ever schools nationwide need to rewrite the lesson plan when it comes to securing their facility. Knowing who is entering your facility day or night is crucial to mitigating the risk of an incident taking place on your campus.   With a main goal of reducing risk exposure, schools are quickly learning that the best way to prevent an emergency event from happening is controlling access.  

As you know, the CDC put out an "Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Prevention" as a guide to getting kids back to in-person classes. Some school systems brought kids back for full-time in-class operations during the second half of the school year, some chose a hybrid model of part in-person and part virtual classes, and others continued remotely.

If you don't currently have ID cards, here are a few reasons why cards offer security and functionality for your students and faculty. Not only do cards track metrics important to your operations, but they also provide a measure of security to make sure you know who is on campus at all times. Let's look at why ID cards are important for both students and staff.

Lanyards are some of the hottest ID card accessories available, especially for organizations that need cardholders to display badges easily. Some cardholders need their ID cards readily available for other actions like swiping through card readers, checking out equipment, etc. But most cardholders agree lanyards are not only popular but also effective.

Every time you run to the store and use the self check-out stations, you're using barcodes. Retailers rely on these machine-readable components to track everything from price to inventory and more. Barcodes are an efficient and effective option for small businesses and large corporations alike to contain easily verifiable information on ID cards.

If you're wondering what an ID badge holder is and if you need one, this article is for you. Today, businesses, schools, organizations, healthcare facilities, government agencies, and others consider a badge holder an essential accessory for their ID card programs. Here's why.

Many companies, when setting up an ID card program or upgrading an existing one, discover they need to store unique information about the cardholder. How do you decide between a card with a magnetic stripe or one with a simple bar code? 

Visitor management systems come with an array of elements, which can make choosing the best one a challenge. One priority stands clear above all others: you need a solution that provides high-level security for your employees or students while safeguarding assets. A good VMS is one of the most effective tools to provide that security. 

As the nation becomes vaccinated against COVID-19, stadiums, arenas, and other event locations and venues are opening back up. Remember those old, "Hello my name is" badges? Today's attendee demands much more from your event badges. Since an attendee's name and a few bits of other identifying information are typically the first thing someone sees on your event badges, you want yours to be extra special. 

One element of your employee ID card solution is identifying who belongs in your facilities and where/what they have access to in your organization. Regardless of what or where your employees need access, there's a badge or ID for it. From barcodes and magnetic strips to contactless smart chips, you can create the access ID solution that works best for your business, security needs, and budget.

If your company ID card program needs an overhaul, you can easily add data security and various levels of functionality with the HID iCLASS smart cards. Not only does this smart card protect your business and cardholder data with technology, but adds functionality in multiple ways. For example, you can use an HID iCLASS smart card for access to your facilities, to check out equipment, and also use it as a payment option in the cafeteria.

When selecting a new ID card printer for your business, one question is should you laminate your cards? Your answer drives what type of ID card printer you need, the type and cost of supplies, and whether you need badge accessories.

Hospital employees, healthcare staff, and those in clinics, laboratories, and urgent care facilities have long been aware of anti-microbial badge accessories. In today's global pandemic environment, if you have essential employees who need to display their ID badges, consider getting customized anti-microbial accessories like a special polyester lanyard that prevents the growth of germs.

Healthcare establishments have one of the widest arrays of people onsite at any given time:

• Medical care staff from various specializations and services
• Administration
• Maintenance, janitorial, housekeeping
• Patients
• Visitors
• Security

With this population changing daily, how can you simplify your personnel's identification in a busy medical environment? 

Whether you're new at printing employee/student ID cards or a pro with several batches under your belt, you need to know when it's time to clean your printer. You risk printing sub-par ID cards and potentially damaging your ID card printer if you don't keep it clean.

Here's everything you need to know about cleaning your ID card printer.

Are you considering moving to a smart card from a magnetic stripe model? If so, you may wonder how to tell if you need a contact or contactless smart card. First, research how the cards work and what type of equipment you need for each. Then figure out what you should budget for a new system to determine which smart card is right for you. 

A common contact card that most people use today is a debit or credit card with a microchip. To activate the card, you must insert it into the scanner/reader for identification purposes. On the other hand, you only need to be within range of a scanner for a contactless card to work. If you look closely, you can see the antennae around the embedded chip in a contactless card.

If you're not familiar with the term, an ID card badge reel lets you zip out your card from where it's connected anywhere on your body to swipe or scan. A badge reel has a housing that holds a retractable cord. You connect one end to your ID card and the housing to your clothing, belt, etc. When you need to scan your card, you grab it and "reel" it out. The retractable cord in most reels is between 27 and 36 inches long. The spring mechanism automatically rewinds the cord when you're done swiping. It couldn't be simpler or more convenient.

Orientation for the influx of new students to your college or university fall semester is just around the corner. It's also the time you issue photo identification cards for students, faculty, volunteers, staff, and others. It might be time to upgrade your ID card software program if you want to get even more mileage out of your cards. Students, faculty, visitors, and others can use their ID cards for more than mere identification. You can add functionality to your cards that lets cardholders.

Do your employees need rugged ID cards to withstand the elements, intense heat or harmful UV rays, dirt and debris, and other environmental wear and tear? If so, laminating your employee ID cards will extend their lifespan, meaning you spend less time and money reissuing damaged cards over the year. And many ID card printers have lamination module upgrades you can choose, and some even have field upgradable kits that you can install yourself in minutes.

Are you issuing adhesive "Hello, my name is…" badges for your visitors to stick to their clothing? Are you still manually tracking visitors through hand-written paper visitors' logs where they fill in their name and other pertinent information?

Can you tell at a moment's notice who is visiting your facilities and those who have left?

You finally have an ID card printing solution complete with extra supplies and everything you need to issue amazing, professional ID cards. It's great to be ready when it's time to replace your ribbon, clean your printer, and issue ID cards and badges on the fly. But, you might not know that your printer supplies might expire before you can use them. If you've made Christmas cookies and baked goods every holiday season, you know that certain spices, syrups, extracts, and other ingredients expire after a specified amount of time. 

"Professional photographers use tripods in studio photography." "A tripod ensures you get the same shot each time."

There's a lot of good advice out there about why you need a tripod for your photo ID card solution. They make sense, and if professional photographers consider them a necessity for portraits or landscapes, you should probably use one, too.

Don't forget that your ID cards have two sides, a front and a back. That's a lot of prime real estate you can add more functionality to. For example, you could add personal information on the backs of your cards to make cardholder identification easier.

Take advantage of both sides of your ID cards to add pertinent information or add technology for more functionality. Either way, adding dual-sided printing to your card printer means you're making the most of all available real estate on your ID cards.

Security is more than a buzzword in today's business environment. It's paramount to ensuring your employees, visitors, contractors, and others feel safe when they're on site. Beyond using your ID cards to ensure unauthorized individuals can't access your facilities, boost your entire company's security by taking proactive measures to reduce the likelihood of a security breach and to ensure everyone's safety.

The ID card software program you choose is almost as important as the ID card printer you select. Not only does the software decide how your ID cards look when printed, but it also determines the level of security features you can add. So, if the printer is the workhorse behind producing your employee ID cards, the software is your program's brain. It controls what goes on your ID cards, so it's important to weigh the software program you choose as well.

While the science behind expiring badges is interesting, it's not like flipping a switch. For example, if you choose 24-hour expiring badges, the badge doesn't stay vibrant and valid for 23 hours, then suddenly at hour 24, change to "void." Rather, what it means is that the badge will subtly change over a 24-hour period until at the end, it is obviously expired.

Another point to take into consideration is that temperature affects the timing of the expiration process. For example, heat makes the badges change quicker. So if your visitors or guests are in a hot manufacturing facility, their badges may expire faster than someone in an air-conditioned office building.

You've probably heard about both overlays and laminates for ID cards but may be uncertain when to use either. Let's take a quick look at common scenarios for using both.

An overlay differs from a laminate as it's a thin panel that's part of your ID card printer's ribbon. It actually gets printed on the top of your card to protect the printing from getting smudged or damaged. It doesn't protect the card itself but keeps the printed material on the card protected from getting scratched or harmed by UV sunlight.

Your proximity card is one of the most common forms of access control. For example, proximity cards grant keyless entry to hotels, fitness centers, apartment complexes, amusement parks, and so much more. They work relatively simply: the card is "read" by a card reader and if the data on the card is correct, it unlocks the door.

Finding the right supplies will not only help keep your ID card printer solution running, but will also help extend its life—if you buy the right supplies.

It's often hard to overlook generic brand printer supplies that cost less than manufacturer brand ones. But this is a short-sighted view that can cost you much more in the long run. Manufacturers designed your printer to work specifically with its brand ribbons, laminates, cleaning kits, and more. 

When you think of quality photographs, you automatically think of digital SLR cameras. And while their quality is unsurpassed, that doesn't mean they're the right fit for your ID card solution.

Sure, you can use a high-quality digital camera easily found anywhere on the market today. But you'll spend too much time trying to make the picture fit into your ID card design software. Here's why.

When security is your number one priority, you may need ID cards for more than just employees. If you have visitors, temporary workers, contractors, vendors, and others requesting access to your facilities daily, you need to classify and track them accordingly. Here's how to determine the different categories of ID cards you may need and the best way to print and issue those cards.

ID card printers were never designed to last forever, but trying to pinpoint an exact lifespan is impossible. It would be easy if you knew your ID card printer would print X number of cards during its life or would break down after X number of years. Since you can't rely on either of these, you need to know how to extend your ID card printer's life to get the highest longevity.

Whether you're behind the camera snapping shots or the person in front of the camera, you want to take the best picture possible for your ID badges. For examples, if you're behind the camera, learn the tips and techniques to taking the best photo IDs for employee or student IDs, passports, driver's license, and other forms of identification.

If you use lanyards or badge reels for your employee or student ID cards, punching a slot for attaching them can break your proximity card if you aren't careful. And punching slots before printing can irreversibly damage your ID card printer's printhead.

In the past, companies tracked visitor badges and collected them at the end of each visit. This resulted in a burden for those responsible for collecting badges and tracking them as visitors moved around your facility. While this is one visitor badge management option, it's difficult to use and offers a less secure method of tracking visitors.

One consideration that many don't think about is how long your ID card printer supplies last. Because just like a lot of other products, ID card printer supplies expire on a certain date. They don't last forever on your shelves.

You've likely heard of lamination, but did you know it can extend the lifespan of your employee or student ID cards by sometimes years compared to a normal card? Especially if your cardholders use their cards several times a day to swipe or scan, you can reduce your replacement card printing costs by hundreds of dollars a year—simply by laminating cards.

Shopping for an ID card printer isn't quite as significant as choosing your next motor vehicle but to your organization, it might be up there. And if you're not intimately acquainted with the various brands, options, features, and functionality offered by today's card printer manufacturers, this can be quite the daunting experience.

The purpose of ID card software is to design and print the most professional cards possible. How you get there differs depending on the software program you choose. Here's what you need to know about ID card software to make an educated purchase decision.

If your organization requires employees, guests, and others to display ID badges, you'll definitely need accessories to help cardholders wear their badges for visual identification. But how do you choose badge accessories that meet everyone's needs? Here are a few pointers to help you select the right ID card badge accessories that make the most sense for the majority of your cardholders.

Companies need not be top-secret government facilities or high-tech organizations protecting national security secrets. In fact, even the most average company needs employee ID cards. The top reasons you need employee ID cards aren't always what you think.

Companies around the country grapple with this question daily: do we need to capture visitor ID information? Beyond special security and compliance regulations, is there a strong need for your organization to monitor visitors? While your organization's specific conditions are unique, here are a few reasons to capture visitor ID information.

Let's dispel the myth: Regardless if you take pictures with a high-end digital camera or a superior ID card camera, you will get premier quality. The difference is in getting the photograph from your camera to your ID card printing software. At a minimum, a high-end digital camera requires multiple steps to import pictures while an ID card camera incorporates pictures into your customized software program immediately.

Regardless of your industry, ID badge purpose, or security needs, there is a basic ID card printer bundle that covers all bases to help you create amazing employee ID cards. The basic ID card program includes these elements, and depending on your security and other needs, you can build from here.

A reputable ID card solution provider carries a variety of manufacturers' models to help customers just like you find the right one. But if this is your first time setting up an employee ID card or badge system, you'd probably like to know more about each manufacturer and their models. Here's what you need to know about the major manufacturers and their ID card printer models.