Issuing ID cards to each employee is an important task most companies and businesses will need to undertake. Making sure each employee has an ID card is not only important for employee identification, but also can be used to protect restricted areas or machines and sensitive or personal information. If your business does not yet have the capability to issue ID cards, you may be interested in acquiring the means to do so. 

Whether you are a small, medium, or large-sized business, buying an ID card printer for your business can be a difficult task. With so many varieties of ID card printers available in the market, it is not easy to find a model that is right for your business. Usually, ID card printer manufacturers make two or three ID printer models that fall into three main groups: entry-level, mid-level and professional ID card printers. However, before deciding on the type of ID badge printer that is suitable for your business, it is important to understand the full scope of the features offered by each printer within these ID printer categories. 

Entry Level Printers 

These printers can be suitable for businesses that have to print only up to 200 ID cards per year. Entry-level ID printers can be used to print a plethora of types of ID cards, including employee ID cards, student ID cards, access control passes, etc. While these printers can print ID badges that can help secure offices, they lack some of the advanced features offered by other printer categories.  

Understand the exact use of the ID card printer you’re interested in for you to determine the features that are necessary for your business. There are ID card printers that can print fast and reliably, print in color or black and white, print on one or both sides of the card, and more. The features available with different models vary and with this also comes fluctuations in price. A range of features may or may not be best suited to your business or its budget. Read on to discover the capabilities you may be looking for for your businesses ID cards. 

Mid-Level Printers 

Mid-level printers are often suited to larger institutions than entry such as schools, universities, government agencies, health-care facilities, and medium sized businesses. Not only do they tend to have increased output capabilities, they also offer a greater extent of features than entry-level ID card printers. 

Mid-level ID printers offer more advanced security features and some of the models also let the user upgrade to dual-sided printing. Evolis Primacy and Magicard 300 ID card printers are examples of mid-level badge printers capable of accommodating the changing needs of your business. 

Magicard 300 offers both single and dual-sided printing, and a quick turnaround for either whether it's in black and white, monochrome, or color. To do this, it uses dye sublimation or rather, heat transfer of the color strip onto the vinyl card. For additional security, it also includes HoloKote technology, which is essentially a clear, holographic watermark. If you’re interested in further info on HoloKote Technology, you can read more about it here. 

Evolis Primacy has both single and dual sided models available, and each are capable of high volumes of printing and fast output. Similarly to the Magicard model, various laminations and holographic coatings are available. A large batch of cards can be printed at once without the constant need for monitoring because any defective cards or messed up prints slide out of the back and out of the way instead of causing a jam or stopping the process. Features like these save time and money, especially for high volume organizations. 

Enterprise ID Printers 

Enterprise ID card printers are suitable for larger-sized institutions such as businesses, schools, healthcare facilities, and government agencies that need to print more than 2,000 ID cards per year, or demand high-level print quality and security. All enterprise ID printers offer security features like dual-sided printing, adding custom holograms to ID cards, lamination, hoppers, ribbons of larger capacity, retransfer printing, and more. 

The Fargo HDP6600 is a great example of an ID card printer suited to organizations with a need for a larger output. Dual-sided ID card printers, such as this model from Fargo, are often needed because as the business grows, they will not only need faster, more efficient models, but will also develop greater need for security and precautions. 

Because Enterprise-level ID card printers offer top-notch printing quality, laminating capabilities, and many other advanced features, they allow businesses to perform even the most complex printing jobs with little to no hassle. Their efficiency of one of these models makes them well worth the investment. 

Don’t Forget!

ID card printers will also run on softwares which provide additional features such as templates, designs, encoding capabilities and more. As you arrive at a choice, check to see which program your ideal printer is best suited for. This compatibility often means you can buy an ID card printer and an appropriate ID card software as a bundle to not only save money but to also ensure its capabilities work in tandem with the program. 

Finding the Perfect Fit 

Having an idea of the different features offered by different categories of ID card printers will let you find the ID card printer model suitable for your business. Remember to consider questions such as: How large is my business? How many cards will I need to print? Is speed important to me? Which security features are most important or needed? As you answer these questions you’ll come to understand and define them for your business, which narrows down which type of printer, making for an easier choice. 

If you are confused about the ID badge printer model suitable for your business, you may also get in touch with an ID card professional. Bodno offers a live chat with an ID card professional to answer all of your questions and concerns and to make the process even smoother. Explore, learn and find the perfect ID card printing match for your business!

See Bodno’s most popular printers here: Bodno Best Sellers