All ID card printers do one thing well: they print employee/student/member ID cards. But by customizing your ID card printer, you can end up with a machine that does so much more.
Here are six ways you can add to or customize your ID card printer and take your badging program to the next level.
1. Upgrade from single- to dual-sided
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.
2. Add card encoding
Card encoding modules take your printer to a more functional level. Most printers do simple encoding like printing barcodes or QR codes, but why stop there? Add an encoding module for magnetic stripes and give your cardholders payment functionality or smart card technologies like time and attendance tracking and building/room access.
You can make your ID card system a one-in-all solution with encoding. Your employees/students/members could use their cards for payment in your cafeteria, or you could track employees' time and attendance for easy payroll handling. And don't forget about using your cards to permit or restrict access to proprietary information or areas.
3. Increase the hopper size
A basic ID card printer will either be hand-feed or come with a small hopper to load blank cards in. If you need to print a lot of ID cards, you'll be days printing them out when you must feed each card by hand.
Increasing the hopper size so it holds hundreds of cards at a time means you don't waste time stopping the process frequently to load more cards in the hopper. For example, a college or university prints hundred of student ID cards during orientation each year. They need hoppers that hold up to 500 cards at a time to efficiently move their incoming students through orientation.
4. Increase your cards' wearability
If your employees/students/members use their ID cards frequently in a single day, you must replace cards often as they wear out. But you can add a lamination module that adds a protective film coating to the front and back of your cards.
Laminating cards during the printing process helps you issue longer-lasting ID cards much faster than a separate lamination system would. This is an upgrade that pays for itself since you won't need to replace your ID cards quite as often.
5. Consider reverse transfer technology
First, reverse transfer ID card printers are more expensive than direct-to-card printers. But if high-quality, long-lasting ID cards are important, a reverse transfer printer is well worth the investment. Their quality level is amazing, and the retransfer process uses a protective film on which the printer prints instead of directly on the card.
The result? Beautiful, professional cards that wear well over time and represent your brand extremely well.
6. Upgrade to WiFi
This is a customization many people don't consider, but it could save you time and effort. Every printer out there connects to your computer by either USB or Ethernet. This means your printer must be close to your computer.
By upgrading your ID card printer to WiFi connectivity, you can have the printer in a central location and several computers in different areas of your facility connected to it. If each department in your facility issues employee ID cards, it would be quite expensive to purchase printers for all. A centrally located printer is easily accessible by multiple computers and eliminates the need for the expense of separate printers.
Final thoughts
Many of these upgrades are easier to add when selecting your ID card printer for the first time. But a few printer models are field upgradable, meaning you can add certain modules at your site with no need to send the printer in for an upgrade. This not only keeps your ID card program operating with little to no downtime, it also means you can start small and add to your printer as your business and security needs change.
With over 75 years of experience in the security industry, Idesco's ID Experts have the knowledge and expertise to help you pick the right ID card printer from the start. And part of choosing the right solution is making sure it meets your needs today, and you can upgrade in the future as your business grows.
Call an ID Expert today at 212-889-2530 to get started.