There is only a niche group of people who have a vast knowledge about ID card printers and these are generally people that manufacture or sell them. So, for many businesses, buying a plastic ID card printer can be a tricky decision, especially for those buying one for the first time.
For many, it may be more convenient and cost-effective to outsource. This is where your ID cards are printed via a third party. But due to the new GDPR regulations coming into play, this could mean that outsourcing without knowing your outsourcer’s GDPR policy can put your company’s data at serious risk.
This is why so many businesses are looking to print their staff ID cards in-house.
To ensure you are investing in the right printer, we have complied a list of the top 5 ID card printers. These all have different purposes depending on your organisation’s individual needs.
1) For Beginners – IDP Smart 30
For the beginners, the IDP Smart 30 is the perfect starting printer for companies that are new to ID card printing and don’t need to print large volumes. Easy-to-use and with quick set-up, the Smart 30 will have you printing in no time. Its small, compact design means it fits comfortably on any desk and with the five-year printer warranty, this provides plenty of reassurance.
With the ability to add on additional encoding options, the IDP Smart 30 can be customised and adapted to suit your business.
Best 3 features:
- Easy set up and use
- Small footprint
- 5 year manufacturer warranty
2) For Security Conscious Businesses – IDP Smart 51 Secure
For those that require a level of high security, the IDP Smart 51 Secure offers additional reliability without compromising on its photo-like print quality. It is the first ID card printer with GDPR enhanced features, including an input card hopper lock, a ribbon lock and a Kensington lock. This stops anyone unauthorised from not only accessing the printer, but the cards and the printer ribbon too. While the Kensington lock allows you to attach the printer to a desk to avoid printer theft.
Not only has the Smart 51 tackled physical security, but with the SmartMark feature, it means a watermark is printed over the surface of the card. This helps decrease the risk of cloning and allows any cloned attempts to be identified.
Best 3 features:
- Printer ribbon lock protects card information
- SmartMark watermark
- 10% faster print speed than similar models on the market
3) For High-Quality – Fargo HDP5000 Retransfer
The Fargo HDP500 Retransfer is complete with High Definition Printing ®. This ensures a stunning high-quality print, every time, even on uneven card surfaces. The vibrant, sharp, photo-like images alongside the ability to add Holographic overlaminate, means the Fargo HDP5000 is the perfect printer for companies using ID cards for identification purposes.
Although it takes slightly longer to print than direct-to-card (DTC) printers, the retransfer printing means the full card is covered unlike the edge-to-edge printing of DTC printers. It also prevents it from fading.
Best 3 features:
- High Definition Printing®
- Ability to print on uneven card surfaces
- Holographic overlaminate improves durability and keeps reissuing costs low
4) For High Volume – Zebra ZXP Series 7
For many businesses, especially in the education, healthcare and government sectors, they require mass production of ID cards for their staff and students. The Zebra ZXP Series 7 does exactly that with the ability to produce a massive 1375 monochrome cards in an hour or 300 full-colour cards per hour. Yet just because of its high speeds, it doesn’t compromise on quality. Its vibrant, near-photographic images and sharp text means businesses using them to check identification can be assured by their clarity.
Best 3 features:
- Extremely fast print speed
- Near-photographic images
- High security
5) The Reliable All-Rounder – Magicard Rio Pro 360
The Magicard Rio Pro 360 is the printer that ticks all the boxes. With the LYNX embedded CPU system, image quality is improved and it has a wider colour spectrum so cards are more vibrant and accurate.
To increase security, it comes with HoloKote® and Custom HoloKote® where anti-fraud watermarks are printed onto the surface, and HoloPatch which is a reflective gold super diffuser foil square to enhance the HoloKote® watermark.
Its incredibly fast print speeds mean you can print a full-colour card with secure HoloKote® in just 18 seconds, proving the Rio Pro 360 has the ability to print high-quality, high-security cards at a fast speed.
Top 3 features:
- UK based technical support
- HoloKote® and HoloPatch security features at no extra cost
- Fixed price printing
