ID Card Printing Blog

In-House or Outsourced Printing — Which Is Right for You?

July 08 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

In-House or Outsourced Printing — Which Is Right for You?

If your organization has a need for ID cards, you have two basic options — printing them in-house or outsourcing the project to a printing company. Both of these choices will ultimately provide you with cards you were looking for. However, if you are looking for a cost-effective solution to get professional badges, in-house printing definitely makes sense.

Control your ID card production

With in-house printing you are in control of the entire process from start to finish, which is beneficial for a couple reasons.

For one, you don’t have to worry about receiving a low-quality or inferior finished product — you have the ability to monitor the progress of your ID badges every step of the way. Plus, in-house printing allows you the luxury of making beneficial changes to the process.

Get ready for the 2014-2015 school year!

July 03 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

Get ready for the 2014-2015 school year!

Now is a great time to upgrade your ID card system and plan for your 2014-2015 ID badges.

Getting the right ID card system is the most effective and affordable way to secure your school.

We have designed comprehensive ID card solutions to help you create professional ID cards for your students, employees and visitors. Whether you need to print a few hundred cards for your K-12 school or thousands of badges for your university, you will find the perfect photo ID system right here!

Discover QuickShip, a new way to get your Proximity cards

May 07 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

Discover QuickShip, a new way to get your Proximity cards

At ID Security Online, we are constantly looking for new solutions to enhance our customers’ experience and help everyone build a successful card program. Today, we are happy to announce the launch of a brand new line of Proximity cards called QuickShip.

Proximity cards have quickly become a premier choice for access control applications. Proximity cards are custom programmed with a facility code and a serial number to control users’ access rights. Proximity cards are widely used in the security industry but are typically ready to ship in 6-10 business days.

Zebra ZXP7 card printer: save BIG on your next card printer

April 07 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

Zebra ZXP7 card printer: save BIG on your next card printer

If you are looking for a new ID card printer, consider getting the fastest machine in the industry. The Zebra ZXP7 card printer produces 300 single-sided cards per hour in color. For an even faster throughput, the printer can simultaneously print, encode, and laminate a card.
New ribbon Selector: choose the right ribbons for your needs

March 26 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

New ribbon Selector: choose the right ribbons for your needs

If you are already an ID Security Online customer, you know that we are constantly looking for ways to improve your shopping experience and make sure that you build a successful ID card program.

With that objective in mind, we have just developed a new ribbon selector to help you choose the right color ribbon for your printer.

Each manufacturer offers many options, from YMCKO to YMCKOK or half-panel color ribbons. So which one do you really need? Follow these steps to make the right decision every single time.

IDPlus Support Program: get an ID expert at your service

March 10 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

IDPlus Support Program: get an ID expert at your service

We have designed a unique support program called IDPlus to help you with your ID card program at all times.

This program includes key features such as:

  • Superior Customer Support on all items
    Do you need help with your ID card system? We got you covered for life! Call us at 1-800-897-7024 whenever you need it and get answers fast!
  • Warranty and Non-Warranty Repairs
    If your printer is under warranty, we will fix it at no charge! Beyond the warranty period, we will service your printer at the best rates of the market.
  • Certified Repair Center
    ID Security Online is a certified repair center for all major card printer brands. We stock all parts to fix your printer fast and minimize downtime.
Trade in your old card printer and save!

January 22 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

Trade in your old card printer and save!

Hanging on to your outdated card printer might be costing you way more than you think.

Here are the facts:

    Consumables and parts for an outdated printer can cost you twice as much as supplies for a new machine.
    New printers are faster, which means that you will increase productivity and therefore profitability.
    The latest printers are more durable to significantly reduce downtime and issue highly secure badges.
    The maintenance costs of a discontinued printer are substantial. Changing a printhead will cost you hundreds of dollars if your printer is out of warranty.

    ID Security Online Earns Better Business Bureau Accreditation

    January 15 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    ID Security Online Earns Better Business Bureau Accreditation

    We are very happy to announce that ID Security Online has earned full accreditation with the Better Business Bureau along with an A rating.

    The Better Business Bureau is dedicated to fostering honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers. With this accreditation, the BBB recognizes ID Security Online as a trustworthy company that fully meets its high standards of excellence.

    January 13 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    Temporary Badges and the Visitor Management System

    Businesses and institutions in general, have an obvious need to protect themselves from suspect individuals entering into their workplaces and causing damage. The news is littered of people walking into private buildings and shooting people. Cases of fraud and threats by corporations trying to acquire valuable information are serious and businesses have looked for an appropriate means to identify who is in their buildings. Either the people work in the office, visitors who are here for a meeting or to carry out maintenance or a delivery and those who simply should not be in the building at all.
    Top-selling ID card printers of 2013. #2: Fargo HDP5000

    January 03 2014  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    Top-selling ID card printers of 2013. #2: Fargo HDP5000

    We are continuing our countdown of the 3 best-selling ID card printers of the year and the 2nd place goes to...

    the Fargo HDP5000 ID card printer.

    Fargo has launched an enhanced version of its HDP5000 printer this year and the success has been immediate. The HDP5000 produces ID cards with the highest image quality available. By printing a reverse image on the underside of HDP Film, then fusing the film to the card surface, the HDP5000 creates superb image quality.

    Introducing the new line of Fargo DTC ID card printers

    December 10 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    Introducing the new line of Fargo DTC ID card printers

    Introducing the new line of Fargo DTC ID card printers

    HID Fargo has released a new entry-level card printer called C50, along with the new DTC1250e, DTC4250e, and DTC4500e models that are enhanced versions of the DTC1000, DTC4000 and DTC4500 card printers.

    C50 ID card printer:

    The Fargo C50 ID Card Printer is an affordable single-sided solution to print professional ID cards and badges on demand. It comes with Built-in Swift ID™ badging application to help you create ID badges in seconds without having to install any additional software.

    Get a FREE consultation with an ID expert!

    November 26 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    Get a FREE consultation with an ID expert!

    Get a FREE consultation with an ID expert!

    Buying an ID card solution is a significant investment for many organizations. Purchasing the right ID card printer is the first step to building a successful ID Card program.

    Your company is unique and so are your needs. Whether you are looking to print employee IDs to keep your staff safe and secure, access control badges to protect your assets, or loyalty cards to increase your sales, we will provide you with a solution that meets your requirements.


    My first purchase of an ID card printer - 4/5

    October 30 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    My first purchase of an ID card printer - 4/5

    At ID Security Online, we value our customers' feedback. 

    That is why we have decided to share with you the experience of one of our clients who needed to purchase an ID card printer for the first time. In this fourth post, Patricia finds out more about the different ribbons that an ID card printer uses.

    “Evidently, ID Card printers don’t use a standard ink cartridge that laser and inkjet printers do. ID Card printers use ribbons, which are plastic cartridges with ink on a film. I assumed a double-sided printer would need two ribbons to operate. Yet again, I was wrong.

    My first purchase of an ID card printer - 3/5

    October 28 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    My first purchase of an ID card printer - 3/5

    At ID Security Online, we value our customers' feedback. 

    That is why we have decided to share with you the experience of one of our clients who needed to purchase an ID card printer for the first time. The third installment is all about choosing between a single- and a dual-sided ID card printer.

    "I noticed that all six brands carried by ID Security Online have both single and duplex models. There is that word again, “Duplex”. Although this time I have figured out what it means. 

    Match your business with the best that Photo ID Systems can offer

    October 23 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    Match your business with the best that Photo ID Systems can offer

    When thinking about what Identification system you need you have to think about your needs and the size of your business. Here, at photo ID Systems we put the systems in three categories to give an idea of what system might be right for you.

    A Small Business

    Might only need a low capacity system. A restaurant is doing a great job. The food is great and people talk about the place the whole time. It’s on the map and is starting to get real recognition. The restaurant wants to start to launch its Friday spectacular events. The restaurant wants to send VIP cards so the front of desk knows who’s who and where they should go. Additionally the management of the restaurant as well as their families who also need ID passes. These two groups might get two different cards with identifying information.  There are four machines that meet the needs for a smaller business.

    October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Let's make a difference!

    October 01 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Let's make a difference!

    We want to support breast cancer research to finally put an end to this deadly disease.

    In October, when you make a purchase on ID Security Online, you help us make a difference. At the end of the month, we will donate 1% of our Photo ID Systems sales to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

    Since 1982, Komen has played a critical role in every major advance in the fight against breast cancer – transforming how the world talks about and treats this disease and helping to turn millions of breast cancer patients into breast cancer survivors. We are proud of our contribution to some real victories:

    Make your printer evolve with your needs!

    September 30 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    Make your printer evolve with your needs!

    If you purchased an ID card printer, you might be part of the vast majority who buy “Basic” printers: no encoding, single-sided capabilities, USB only.

    Those printers are perfect to personalize ID badges with names, pictures, logos and barcodes. But what happens if one day, you are asked to print and encode magnetic cards or if you need a dual-sided printer to add more information on the back of your cards? Should you just get another printer?

    Here is the thing with card printers today: many machines can easily be upgraded onsite! Let’s say you have a single-sided printer and you want dual-sided capabilities, you can get an upgrade kit and do it yourself in no time! With some card printer manufacturers, this can be done with an activation key or a special upgrade ribbon.

    Standard YMCKO vs. Half-panel color ribbon: make the right choice!

    September 12 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    Standard YMCKO vs. Half-panel color ribbon: make the right choice!

    If you want to print color badges, you will need a color ribbon but if you look closer at the options, you will find YMCKO ribbons and Half-panel YMCKO ribbons. What’s the difference?

    YMCKO ribbons are standard color ribbons. YMCKO stands for Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black and Overlay. The printer uses the YMC panels to print in full color, the Black (K) panel to print in real black and then applies a clear coating overlay (O) to create durable plastic badges.

    Half-panel color ribbons are different: the Yellow, Magenta and Cyan panels are half the size of the regular panels of a YMCKO ribbon. The K (Black) and O (Overlay) are full size panels. This means that up to half of the card can be printed in full color while black text or images can be printed anywhere on the card.

    Tips to fix ribbon breaking issues

    September 04 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    Tips to fix ribbon breaking issues

    You are trying to print your badges but your ribbon keeps breaking. The good news is that this issue can easily be fixed.

    • The first step is to clean your card printer. Follow the recommendations of your card printer manufacturer to clean printer and printhead. Dust and debris can damage your printer and considerably impact print quality.
    How to choose your ID cards

    September 03 2013  |  By: IDSecurityOnline

    How to choose your ID cards

    Your card printer and card application will determine which ID cards are right for you.

    Here are a few tips when choosing ID cards:

    • Card thickness: ID card printers will only accept specific card thicknesses. Most printers are built to print 30mil cards (thickness of a credit card) so if you need to personalize thinner cards (10-20mil), check the specs of your printer.