When it comes to using ID printers, ID card software can be a huge help in increased productivity. The best ones bring a slew of features, which let organizations append security on their ID cards and badges. These can be employed in rendering quality access control cards, convention badges, membership cards, employee ID, student ID cards, event passes, etc. This includes every essential identification tool. If it is your first time buying one you need to figure out which features are most important to your organization.

There are two main questions you’ll want to ask before you proceed:

• How far do your security requirements go?
• What plan do you have to enhance security?

One overriding factor in this decision is the company security policy, which actually helps narrow down options. The best place to start involves asking upper management for information on projected organizational security requirements in the near future. Make a comparison chart out of the data you recieve, and then start analyzing the software options you have available. The more technical you go into this process, the equipped you’ll be when considering ID card printers.

The best solutions always include basic image editing features inside the design interface. The integrated setup generally suits people who lack the time or skill to use the more advanced (and expensive) options like Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator. Here, an integrated tool eases the work of editing and inserting images into the design you have in mind, or even rendering one from scratch.

Dynamic tools can be a great help, expediting addition of data labels such as the cardholder’s name, function, company, unit, and other info. Conditional objects let you show event-triggered objects, such as “21+” on ID signs at events that serve drinks – minors would not have this on their ID, making it easier for servers to avoid serving alcohol to them.

Security Enhancement

Two key areas where you need to check security are the software itself, and the cards and badges. When producing badges and cards in large number, you will be faced with the need to manage, store, and safeguard several individual entries. Enforced password protection for the software is the lowest you should aim for; above that, you have more advanced options like user privileges management. The latter affords much tighter control over who gets to do what, and covers badge creation, badge deletion, badge edition, data export, printing, activity logs access, etc. This can be extremely useful during registration or accreditation, because the setup is capable of preventing security mistakes and fraudulent intrusions.

Security enhancements commonly seen include card encoding and biometrics. The former involves the use of magnetic stripes, barcodes, and proximity cards, which are capable of providing extra security information as well as information regarding the carrier. The options in your ID card software decide how far this can go, but even with one of the best on the market, you would need a matching card printer as well as other required peripherals were such security features to be implemented. Biometrics digitally represent at least one unique and recognizable physical feature of the person holding the card (signatures, ID photos, fingerprints, etc).

Color coding easily enhances onsite security. A specific color or color combination can reveal business units and their respective access rights. A crossing red rectangle, for instance, can mean the holder of the card works for the finance unit.

Production Options

Cards and badges come in numerous styles, and you would need to decide early on between single and double-sided options. You must also choose between plastic (PVC) or paper badges, cards, and labels to print on. The option to force the K-panel lets you restrict your printer’s ribbon panel use to black. That way, expensive color ribbons do not get wasted on black or grayscale objects.

Photo editing features let you make your photos clearer and crisper before printing by adjusting myriad properties such as contrast, brightness, and color levels. It is also possible to import pictures from files or straight from a camera, crop them to the desired size, and place it in the right spot.

Software Integration and Connectivity

Things get a lot easier if your choice of software is able to connect with your respective enterprise solution. Some allow connecting with a simple command line interface, and in turn integrating the card printing software with your related business processes.

The best card printing software solutions bring the ability to turn out a range of useful, secure, and ultimately cool identification cards. With the right software and equipment, you can print your choice of designs on employee ID, membership cards, access control cards, student ID, event badges, convention badges, loyalty cards, etc.