With the help of ID cards, you can provide a safe and secure way for companies to provide security, tracking, and payment methods to all employees. It is no wonder that ID card printers continue to be an incredibly valuable asset to nearly every type of industry. Whether its the hospitality industry, schools, retail, government agencies, or healthcare, having the right kind of ID printer can help support your business in many ways.
The number of organizations and industries that need ID card printers also continues to grow every year and never stops. We here at Bodno know just how important it is to provide you with honest reviews time and time again. That's why we've put together a list of last year's top printers to help you make an informed decision on just what your business or organization needs when it comes to investing in ID card printers.
With the start of the new year comes a time to take a moment and look back at some of the top printers that we reviewed last year in 2019:
Magicard Pronto
The Magicard Pronto is a great user-friendly ID card printer that fits perfectly with smaller businesses. This printer is compact and comes with rewritable cards as well as easy ink ribbon loading. Not only that, but that Magicard Pronto comes with Magicard's patented reflective watermark functionality Holokote®, making it ideal for use in ID cards made for security purposes. This model fits well in a small office that needs to print cards on demand and can print full-color IDs in 35 seconds and monochrome in just 7 seconds with a hand-feed system. Compared to the other printers in the Magicard lineup, the Pronto leaves a little to be desired but can work great for a variety of organizations or businesses that need a smaller ID card printer on occasion without having to take up too much space in the office.
You can purchase the Magicard Pronto here: Magicard Pronto
Magicard 300
The Magicard 300 printer is a fantastic addition to the Magicard line up with exceptional print quality, user-friendly interface, and modest price point. This printer has the capability of printing up to 160 full-color cards per hour, and a single monochrome card takes only 6 seconds to print! The Magicard 300 comes with Holokote® technology that allows you to print custom holographic watermarks on your card as well as three standard designs. Digital Shredding also comes standard, making it a sound ID card printer for those looking for more advanced security protocols in their printing. This model comes with USB and ethernet connectivity and a 3-year warranty as well.
You can purchase the Magicard 300 here: Magicard 300
Magicard 600
With infinite customizability options, the Magicard 600 in one of the best options for an organization or company that has high demands when it comes to security, quantity, speed, and quality. This product comes with a 3-year warranty, and a replacement printer is loaned out if the device malfunctions, fails, or ids in need of repair with no shipping costs. This policy truly shows the level of confidence the company has in their product. The printer itself also contains three security-enhancing features found nowhere else on the market today, making it stand out when it comes to security. The Magicard 600 comes with a digital shredding protocol, a threat benchmark tool, and the patented Holokote® smart watermark system.
You can purchase the Magicard 600 here: Magicard 600
Evolis Zenius
The Evolis Zenius is a user-friendly, compact, and cost-effective solution when it comes to ID card printing. The Evolis Zenius is a fantastic product with high print speeds coming in at 400 monochrome cards per hour and 120 full-color cards per hour with no compromise on quality or ink coverage despite the printer's more compact size. ID cards can be manually fed into the printer from the front or automatically as it can hold 50 cards at a time with an output hopper capacity of 20. The ribbon system has been upgraded to an RFID chip ribbon system and allowed for a more straightforward ribbon installation process at the cost of some ribbon waste.
You can purchase the Evolis Zenius here: Evolis Zenius
Evolis Primacy
The Evolis primacy is a popular mid-volume printer that boasts impressive ID card printing numbers with 190 full-color cards per hour and a whopping 600 monochrome cards per hour. Not only that, but Evolis has manufactured matching input and output hopper capacities for the Primacy, making the workflow considerably easier by keeping them symmetrical. It's one of the best printers available for short-run jobs on the market. While delivering superior card coverage and wonderfully stunning colors, the Primacy also offers intelligent ribbon configuration, making it easy to drop the cartridge into the printer without having to worry about configuring the settings. This model also comes with a variety of upgrades available and a 3-year warranty.
You can purchase the Evolis Primacy here: Evolis Primacy
Zebra ZC100
The ZC100 is the perfect ID card printer that's suited for creating membership cards, loyalty cards, ID badges, and event passes. Not only is it a compact printer with plug-and-play functionality, but it also comes with full-color and monochrome ID card printing. This printer also comes with advanced security features that help prevent unauthorized printing as well as allowing for government-grade encryption.
It can print up to 150 full-color cards per hour and 700 monochrome cards per hour featuring edge to edge printing and a card feeder that automatically adjusts to the thickness of the card and a 2-year warranty.
You can purchase the Zebra ZC100 here: Zebra ZC100
Zebra ZC350
The ZC350 is a mid-line ID card printer that may not have as much storage or high-capacity printing but is packed with a variety of features while maintaining a compact size. It can produce a single-sided full-color ID in a whopping 18 seconds and can create 1,000 monochrome cards or 225 vibrant full-color cards in under an hour. Typically, both this speed and quality are mainly seen in larger industrial models, making the ZC350 one of the best mid-range printers on the market today.
You can purchase the Zebra ZC350 here: Zebra ZC350
Fargo DTC1250e
The Fargo DTC1250e is the perfect id car printer for smaller businesses looking to bring school ID cards, employee badges, visitor cards, access cards, and others. Dual side printing is available with an upgrade, but their fast print speed allows 225 ID cards to be printed within an hour. DTC1250e is a great ID card printer if you're looking for something quick and affordable. With that in mind, the standard version only comes with a USB option but can be upgraded to support Wi-Fi connection. The output hopper for this ID card printer only holds 30 cards, which holds back the benefit of the fast turnaround.
You can purchase the Fargo DTC1250e here: Fargo DTC1250e
Fargo HDP5000
A retransfer printer, the HDP5000 delivers superior print quality, durability, security, and reliability. This model comes with upgrade options such as lamination, Wi-Fi connectivity, dial-sided printing, and encoding. This ID card printer is suitable for a vast number of applications, including smart cards and magnetically encoded cards, membership cards, access control cards, and gift cards as well. With both a high capacity input and output hopper, the HDP5000 can put out a single-sided full-color card every 24 seconds. This model also comes with a 3-year warranty from Fargo.
You can purchase the Fargo HDP5000 here: Fargo HDP5000
Badgy100
The Badgy100 is one of the most affordable ID card printers on the market today while also delivering excellent performance. Its compact size allows you to store this printer in most office cabinets easily and comes with a plug-and-play driver setup, allowing you to use it across both Mac and Windows PC easily. The Badgy 100 takes 45 seconds to print a single card, making it a little slower than most printers, but when it comes to both size and functionality on a budget, this printer is one of the best.
You can purchase the Badgy 100 here: Badgy 100
