When it comes to ID card printers, no one can rightly say that there is a shortage of options to choose from. With plenty of brands and models inundating the market, it actually becomes hard for many to pick out the card printer that suits them best. Of the most widely popular ones sold today, 5 are manufactured by Evolis.

• Zenius
• Avansia
• Quantum 2
• Primacy
• Badgy 200

Following is a look at which of these to choose, based on how your card printing needs stack up. This of course makes no consideration of the other aspects, such as one-sided printing, security, etc.

For Under 500 Cards in a Year – Badgy 200

This is a simple machine for printing ID badges in low volumes. Printing capabilities extend through the processing of regular and RFID cards, and you get a dedicated software that significantly eases the process, as well as a group of highly helpful templates.

For Under 10,000 Cards in a Year – Zenius

The Evolis Zenius is about as good as it gets if you want low-volume, good-quality card printing capabilities. That said, it does come with its own limitations, including one that only lets it print one-sided cards, and the fact that upgrades are not possible. The accompanying software too is pretty basic.

For Over 10,000 Cards in a Year – Primacy

Kind of a “big brother” to Zenius, the Primacy puts out rapid prints, runs cheaper, and brings better software. The best part is the upgradeability, which lets you add features as time goes on. If the printer you get only prints one-sided, you can easily get that changed to a dual-side future through an upgrade. The Primacy is easily the fastest selling printer from the brand.

For Over 10,000 Prime-Quality Cards in a Year – Avansia

While lacking the same speed as Primacy, the Avansia can put out a staggering 600 dpi on each print. The edge-to-edge rending aspect is near-flawless, able to give you what professionals like to call “full bleed”. The main benefit of this model is that the printhead carries a lifetime warranty.

For Over 50,000 Cards in a Year – Quantum

Priced similarly to the Primacy, the Evolis Quantum is nevertheless able to process about 5 times as many cards at the same time. Fast printing, a sizeable output hopper with a detachable facility, etc., make this one of Evolis’ better printer models. All you need to do is load the cards, get the print job going, and then leave and come back later for the finished cards. In offices where people are too busy to track the status of card printing, it is good to be able to have it this easy.