How to Time your Printer Upgrade

There are many good reasons to upgrade your ID card printer. That said, not every business can afford to do this frequently, because it gets in the way of stable printing operations, not to mention it racks up cost as well. Every company has an optimal expense limit within which purchases stay justified, and a card printer is just one of many such expenses. For this reason, it is important to understand when exactly an upgrade is due. Looking out for a number of key signs can spare you from having to simply guess.

Firmware and Drivers

One issue that comes up sooner or later is that of the firmware and drivers used by your current printer. These two things are there to make sure it operates and functions smoothly, but over time, the drivers become outdated. Luckily, you have manufacturers picking up that slack for at least a couple of years with new driver and firmware releases, but that would not hold forever.

Beyond a point, every printer manufacturer stops putting out support for a given model, and then later discontinues it altogether. If you have this happen with your printer, then it is probably time to buy a new one. This time, you can also focus on getting something with superior features.

Print Speed

Speaking of features, everyone understands how newer products from the same company are often better in lots of ways. Having at least token awareness of such features can prove useful to your company because it lets you keep a watch on the different available options. Busy workplaces, for instance, hold printing speed as a high priority, and lately printer models have been coming out with tremendous improvements in this area.

Security

The security side of things is just as vital, because the cards that you print should not be easily duplicable. In this respect, there have been significant advancements in ID card technology. These days, you also have holographic options that allow minimizing fraud.

All firms should uphold a solid interest in making sure they get an affordable as well as an effective printer option. When the current printer fails to meet your security needs, it is best to upgrade, or just buy a newer model that has fewer limitations in this area. Even if your requirements are not all that high, it serves well to avail higher printing standards when you get the chance.

Company Size

Another factor to watch when considering an upgrade is how badly your business needs one. The size and status of your operation can play a heavy role in what printer works best, and so will your projections of future growth and development. The best thing to do is buy a printer that suits your needs not just today, but also over the foreseeable future. Many high-tech capabilities can be useful in the long run, and should be preferred when buying something for your office.

• Dual-sided printing
• Smart card encoding
• Magnetic encoding
• Watermark technology
• Warranty Coverage

Assuming you already have an ID card printer, you should be looking at the time left on the warranty coverage. If this is nearing its end, buying a new printer may be the most cost-effective option. The new one should come with a warranty you are comfortable with. That includes the time period and the level of coverage, so make sure you get something worth what you are spending, or even better. This also gives you a frame of reference moving forward, so that when you are picking out another printer in the future, you have an idea of the kind of warranty to look for.

It is hard to go wrong with some of the more popular ID card printers, such as the Evolis Badgy100, for example. This model suits single printing needs and lets you meet them inside a limited budget. The printing speed is high enough to let you render a personalized card inside a minute. If that falls short of meeting your needs and you want something capable of high-volume printing, there is a wide range of options to pick from.

Just be sure you go with one that has a good stance on security and versatility, and that support for the printer is all that they say it is. You do not want to get stuck with a machine that malfunctions out of the blue, and then call the company to find yourself indefinitely on hold.

A variety of different card printing needs can be met using the latest Evolis printer models on the market. It is best to compare them based on the above factors to make sure you get exactly what works for you. Online reviews are usually good to go by, which is why you should probably check those as well.