A Guide to ID Card Printers

A Guide to ID Card Printers

Finding an identity card printer to suit your company’s needs and expectations is by no means simple! To make your process as simple and fast as possible, you just need to go into your search with the full knowledge of what you need and can accommodate when it comes to printers and their nuances, shortcomings and different capabilities. In order to make the best decision for you and your company, you’ll need to look at more than just the fine print. Here’s exactly what to consider once you decide to start the hunt for a professional-grade identity card printer…

Practical considerations

First things first, you need to take a good look at your pre-existing environment and business as a whole. Consider the number of staff in your building, if there’s a large amount you’ll need to look for an industrial-size printer that can churn out identity, membership or access cards as quickly and as often as you need. Perhaps you’re more of a boutique business? In that case, a large kitted out printer is really going to go to waste – an entry-level size will work much better for you. Next, your environment. Scrutinise your needs and expectations when it comes to security, ask yourself questions such as, are you being realistic with the systems that you plan on implementing? Are they up to standard or necessary at all? Taking a step back to look at this will ensure that you’re not wasting money on a printer that’s not going to provide you with the services that you actually need.

Functions and expectations

Once you’re on top of precisely what you’re working with and what your needs are, it’s time to look at the functions that you expect out of your identity card printer. If you’ve deciphered that you’re in a high-risk area and you’d like some encoded or holographic security cards, it’s no good spending time looking at printers that can’t produce that. Note down your expectations and carry them with you when speaking with providers or doing online research to streamline your process.

Printer ribbons and other ongoing expenses

Printers are absolutely a one-time investment that keeps on giving back to you and your business, however, there are a few things that you’ll need to be putting money into as time goes by. Case and point, printer ribbons cartridge that works properly. Replacing ribbon can be expensive, particularly if you’re churning out a lot of cards and you don’t have a nominated provider that you can rely on down the line. Some ribbons are more expensive than others, some can only print monochrome, some double-sided – there’s an awful lot of options out there. Other ongoing expenses include blank plastic cards, ID card accessories and graphic design software.

Space, office and resources

Your printer is going to need its own spot in your office, along with a desktop that can host the identity card design software and a photography spot located close by. As well as physical resources, you need to remember that a trained member of staff is going to be needed in order to operate the software, printer and actually produce your cards.

Find the correct provider

Lastly, you need to take the time to find the right provider. As mentioned above, it’s essential to find a company that’s going to give you advice, transparent pricing and ongoing support that sustains beyond the initial transaction. Take your time and ask around to see if anyone in your network can give you a little lived guidance. You’ll be incredibly thankful for a dedicated and friendly printer provider in the long run.

Follow these tips to find your business’ identity card printer today.