The C50 is one of Fargo’s former entry-level offerings, which flaunts a similar aesthetic to the C30 and C30e. The design is pretty much proven to work, and the product itself comes with a history of consistently matching and even exceeding customer expectations.

Being an entry-level unit, Fargo C50 comes with a moderate 50-card input hopper and 30-card output hopper. This makes it a great fit for most people’s low-volume card issuance needs. Like many of the more appreciated ID card printers on the market, the C50 is highly compact and user-friendly and manages to go along with the functionality of your Mac. If you did not know, that last bit was not always the case where Fargo was concerned, but with the C50, it finally moved into the Mac arena.

The C50model even comes with dedicated drivers supplied alongside. You also get a card-design app bundled, which is adequate help with your printing operations. Where print speeds are concerned, Fargo C50 bags the grand prize with its capability of printing out a full-colored card within 24 seconds, and a monochrome one in under 7 seconds.

Printing can be done on both CR79 and CR80 stocks, which is easily one of the options every card printer should have, but many do not. Fargo has repeatedly shown that the option can be added easily enough. The stock flexibility is a huge part of why this model still reigns among ID card printers. Fargo C50 can also print on thermal cards.

Even with the ribbons, Fargo C50 brings in plenty of flexibility. It is possible to use the regular ribbon cartridge or go green with a refillable Eco cartridge. The latter is one of the best ways to cut ribbon wastage. Just be sure to specify the “Eco” part while buying. While it was something of a secret option back when the model first came out, it is available more widely these days.

Another great thing about the C50 is driver compatibility. Other than the Mac drivers already mentioned, Fargo makes sure its products carry support for older Windows and Linux versions as well. This means cross-platform printing operations can be handled with a single card printer, as long as it was removed and plugged into the required system. C50 brings a standard 2-year warranty too, which is modest but adequate.