Efficient Educational ID Card Printing

Educational institutions need identification cards for their students, faculty and staff. In addition to identification, many schools use the ID card as a multi-purpose card for transactions, access and identification. Traditionally, the card making function is outsourced to a badge making company. With technologically advanced yet affordable card printer systems, the card making process can be brought back to campus with more efficient results.

Current printers on the market are more compact and easier to use than printers of just a year or two ago. Smart card technology and magnetic stripe encoding are available on many of the printers that are considered entry level. If the need is to provide access to school facilities, allow media to be checked out of the library or provide debit systems at the cafeteria or vending, there is a printer on the market that will provide the printed cards to meet the application.

To determine which printer would be the best for the requirements, a few items must be considered.

School administrators need to decide which applications the card will be used for. some educational settings may only need identification, while other institutions may be interested in using the cards for time and attendance and access control. If data will need to be stored on the card or bar codes will be printed on the card, a basic id card printer may need to be upgraded with various modules to allow multiple card use applications.

Installation and Operator Training

Printers are easier to install than ever before. The id card printers come with reference guides and installation wizards to make installation easy. Many printers are equipped with LED indicators and printer status indicators that make trouble shooting issues hassle free. Printers currently have easy to load ribbon cartridges with self cleaning elements to keep the internal print elements clean and working properly. The printers have lower maintenance designs and come with longer manufacturer warranties than ever before.

Location of the Printer

Depending on how quickly cards need to be distributed, printers may be located in a main office or on site at each school site. The printers can be stand alone at each location to allow for on-site immediate printing. other school systems have purchased a large volume printer or multiple printers to house in central office. By doing this, the school administration maintains the database and the distribution lists. Cards can be printed in a large batch at distributed as scheduled.

Amount of Cards Needed

The volume of cards and the time frame in which they must be completed will help determine the printer model needed. If a few cards are printed occasionally, a single sided printer on an entry level may be sufficient. If thousands of cards will be printed per year, a high performance printer or printers will be needed to provide that type of workload. The printer may also need to be a dual sided printer that has a flip-over mechanism to provide for both front and back side printing in one pass of the printer.

Longevity of the Card

If the card will be used temporarily or for a short time, a standard card print will be sufficient. The card life will be extended by laminating the card. Higher levels of printers provide lamination on either a single side or dual sides of the card. these cards will last multiple years and can also be integrated with signature holograms to increase the security of the card.

Card printing technology is much more advanced than in years past. A card printer integrator is able to analyze the specifications of a card printing situation and recommend the appropriate printer systems for the specifications.

Efficient Educational ID Card Printing