In-house vs. outsourced ID card printing

Print your own ID cards for under $1 a card, in minutes.

Outside vendors charge about $6 to $12 a card and take days to deliver. A Bodno A10 pays for itself after about 190 cards.

Print in-house $0.73 a card on the Bodno A10 Ready in minutes
Outsource $6–$12 a card from ID card vendors 2 to 10 business days
See the cost at your volume Shop the A10
Bodno A10 ID card printer
Bodno A10From $995 with ID card software

Side by side

Printing in-house vs. sending cards out

Outsourcing costs nothing up front. Everything after that favors printing your own.

Print in-houseWith a Bodno A10 or A30
OutsourceTo an ID card vendor or print shop
Cost per card
$0.40–$0.73Color ribbon plus the blank card
$6–$12Published prices, before shipping
Up-front cost
Printer from $995Software included, Lifetime License
NoneSome vendors charge setup or design fees
Turnaround
Minutes18 seconds per card to print in color
2 to 10 business daysProduction plus shipping
Lost card
Reprint it while they waitUnder $1, no new order
New order, new waitFull card price plus shipping
Design changes
Edit the template yourselfNew logo, new school year, same day
Send changes, approve a proofThen wait for the next batch
Photos and personal data
Stay in your buildingTake photos on site, store records on your computer
Sent to an outside companyNames and photos uploaded to the vendor

Cost at your volume

When does an ID card printer pay off?

It depends on how many cards you print. Here is the first-year and second-year cost at four common volumes, compared with outsourcing at $6 a card.

Cards a yearFirst yearSecond yearPays for itself
250cards a yearBodno A10
First year
Outsourced
$1,500
In-house
$1,178
Second year
Outsourced
$1,500
In-house
$183
in about 9 monthsSaves $1,640 over 2 years
500cards a yearBodno A10
First year
Outsourced
$3,000
In-house
$1,360
Second year
Outsourced
$3,000
In-house
$365
in about 4½ monthsSaves $4,275 over 2 years
1,000cards a yearBodno A10
First year
Outsourced
$6,000
In-house
$1,725
Second year
Outsourced
$6,000
In-house
$730
in about 2 monthsSaves $9,545 over 2 years
2,500cards a yearBodno A30
First year
Outsourced
$15,000
In-house
$2,995
Second year
Outsourced
$15,000
In-house
$1,000
in under 2 monthsSaves $26,005 over 2 years

Only print 10 cards a year?

In-house still wins on time. A dental office hires a new nurse, and she needs her badge today, not in a week. With your own printer it prints while she waits. No minimums, no shipping, no waiting, and a lost badge is reprinted on the spot. Bodno printers last 7 years on average, often longer with light use. At that volume a vendor may cost less in dollars. What you get in-house is speed.

How we figured in-house cost. Color ribbon price ÷ prints per roll, plus one blank card. A10: $64.99 ÷ 100 + $0.08 = $0.73 a card. A30: $94.99 ÷ 300 + $0.08 = $0.40 a card for one side, $0.71 for color on both sides. Blank CR80 30 mil cards are $39.99 for 500. Printers: A10 $995, A30 $1,995, with Bodno ID card software. The first year includes the printer. Bodno prices as of October 2026.

How we figured outsourced cost. $6.00 a card, the low end of published prices for printed photo ID cards, with shipping and setup fees left out. Sources, checked October 2026: InstantCard plans at $5.95 to $8.95 a card, single-sided (same-day printing, then 1 to 5 business days by mail); IDSuperShop, under $6 a card at 100 cards, $7 at 10 cards, shipping in 1 to 3 days; NameBadge.com, $12 single-sided and $14 double-sided, 4 to 6 business days production.

What you need

Everything it takes to print in-house

A printer, ribbon and blank cards. The design software comes with the printer, and your activation code arrives by email within 15 minutes.

Your first 100 cards on the A10 $1,034.99

The printer with its first color ribbon, plus a 500-pack of blank cards. Next 100 cards: one $64.99 ribbon.

Bodno A10 ID card printer
PrinterBodno A10 or A30Ships with the first color ribbon loaded
$995or $1,995
Bodno ID Card Software
SoftwareBodno ID Card SoftwareTemplates, photos, barcodes. Windows and Mac
IncludedLifetime License
Bodno YMCKO color ribbon
Color ribbonA5100 for the A10100 prints. For the A30: A5300, 300 prints, $94.99
$64.99100 prints
Bodno CR80 30 mil PVC cards
Blank cardsCR80 30 mil PVC cardsStandard credit card size, the same as most ID cards
$39.99500 cards
Bodno A11 photo ID camera
Camera · optionalBodno A11 photo ID cameraFull HD 1080p, for photos at the front desk
$99

Where to start

Two printers that replace a print vendor

Both print a full-color card in 18 seconds and come with Bodno ID Card Software and a Lifetime License.

Bodno A10 single-sided ID card printer
Single-sided

Bodno A10

From$995

Best for a few hundred cards a year, printed as people join or lose a card.

Cost per card
$0.73
Print speed
18 seconds per card, color
Color ribbon
100 cards per roll
Card feed
One card at a time
Coverage
3 years
View the A10 $100 trade-in rebate
Bodno A30 dual-sided ID card printer
Dual-sided

Bodno A30

From$1,995

Best for front-and-back cards and big batches like picture day, at a lower cost per card.

Cost per card
$0.40 one side, $0.71 both
Print speed
18 seconds per card, color
Color ribbon
300 cards per roll
Card feed
100-card input hopper
Coverage
3 years
View the A30 $300 trade-in rebate
Compare every ID card printer → Not sure? Take the printer quiz →

Already have an old ID card printer?

Trade it in for a $100 trade-in rebate on the A10 or $300 on the A30. Any brand, any condition, with a free prepaid shipping label.

See trade-in rebates

Questions

Before you decide

Still weighing it? Email sales@bodno.com with how many cards you print a year.

We only print 200 to 500 cards a year. Does a printer pay off?
Usually, yes. Published vendor prices run about $6 to $12 a card. The Bodno A10 costs $995 and about $0.73 a card to run, so it pays for itself after about 190 cards. At 250 cards a year that takes about 9 months, at 500 a year about 4½ months. After that, every card costs under $1.
How much does it cost to print an ID card in-house?
About $0.73 a card on the Bodno A10 and $0.40 on the A30 for one color side, including the blank card. Color on both sides on the A30 is about $0.71. The math is the color ribbon price divided by its prints, plus the blank card.
How much do ID card printing services charge?
The published prices we found run from about $6 to $12 a card for single-sided photo ID cards, before shipping. Double-sided cards cost more, and some vendors add setup or design fees.
How fast can we replace a lost ID card?
In-house, the same day, usually while the person waits. The card prints in 18 seconds. A replacement from a vendor typically takes 2 to 10 business days, including shipping.
What do we need besides the printer?
Color ribbons and blank CR80 cards. Bodno ID Card Software comes with the printer with a Lifetime License, and the activation code arrives by email within 15 minutes. A camera like the Bodno A11 is optional. Already own a printer? Trade it in.