Proximity cards or door access cards are those that have a pre-programmed RFID chip embedded inside them. When used in confluence with proximity card readers, door access cards can do more than just opening doors; they can even help keep track of employees. Proximity cards are contactless, meaning that these cards need not be swiped. Being contactless ensures that these cards last long and that the print on the cards does not fade away.

Printing On Door Access Cards 

You need to consider the methods of printing when printing on proximity cards and door access cards. Usually, two types of door access card packaging styles are used. These are clamshell and directly printable types. As the name suggests, directly printable cards can be directly printed on, using ID card printers. However, users might also need to print on clamshell cards. In such situations, an adhesive plastic card is used for printing. The adhesive card can then be applied to the clamshell card.

Different types of adhesive cards are available and you should get in contact with your printer supplies provider or the manufacturer of the ID card printer to understand the type of adhesive card that will work best with your ID card printer.

Printing directly on cards with embedded electronics can be complicated when compared to printing on normal ID cards. Using a direct-to-card printer to print on door access cards might damage the electronic components of the card.

Some of the ID card printer manufacturers advertise that their direct-to-card printers can do the job, but it is not the best solution. As these cards print directly to the surface of the card, any imperfections can affect the quality of printing and to avoid this you can use retransfer ID card printers like Fargo HDP5600. These Fargo printers print on a film that can be heat rolled to the surface of the proximity card to have an even print quality. In addition, as the print heads do not make any direct contact with the surface of the card, the risk of damage to the embedded electronics is minimal.

However, if you are planning to print on adhesive cards and then apply them manually to the clamshell, then you should use a direct-to-card printer. The reason is that the heat from the reverse transfer printer can melt the adhesive material and affect the print quality. The Fargo DTC1250e is a direct-to-card printer that can be used to print on adhesive cards.