Category Archives: ID Card Printers

The New Color Touch Screen on the Evolis Primacy

The Evolis Primacy is now available with a color touch screen option. This screen allows users to monitor the status of the printer ribbons, cleaning cycle, and operations. Additionally, it provides step-by-step instructions for completing the cleaning cycle and routine printer maintenance.

Now through December, Evolis is running a special on the Primacy with the touch screen. Visit our web store to order the Simplex or the Duplex printers and find the most up-to-date pricing. As always, our experts are available at 704-535-5200 to answer questions or provide more information about this offering from Evolis.

Thinking about upgrading to Windows 10? SLOW DOWN!

stoplooklistenIn the past few weeks, we have started to receive calls from clients whose ID-card printers do not work after updating their PCs to Windows 10. This is a very scary situation with a very simple explanation: Windows 10 is a new operating system, and Microsoft couldn’t have reasonably crafted it to support every printer, ever sold, by every manufacturer. Likewise, the manufacturers of these printers wouldn’t have had an inkling of Windows 10 while their printers were being designed and sold – often 3 or more years ago. The result is a number of perfectly good, well-functioning printers that have no current drivers to allow for their use under Windows 10.

What does this mean for you?

What it means in the short run is that users need to avoid the siren-call of the new, shiny OS from Microsoft unless and until they’re sure ALL of their critical printers, devices AND software are supported. At the time of writing, exactly NONE of our primary brands make mention of Windows 10 support. In speaking with one of our software vendors by phone last week, they told us their latest (June) release has been tested to work under Windows 10, and will be supported if users upgrade.

History repeats:

Going forward, we can take lessons from the past – not all software, and not all printers and devices will work now, or ever on Windows 10. Technology has a life-cycle. Manufacturers and software authors make money selling new stuff, not making their old stuff work with others’ new stuff. So what we’re likely to see is that old printers and devices – those no longer manufactured – will not get Windows 10 specific drivers or software updates. If current drivers happen to work, then you can squeeze more life out of these devices. If not, then you will either have to put-off upgrading Windows, or start budgeting for new printers. The same goes for your ID-badge software programs. None were initially written with Windows 10 in mind. They’ll minimally need to be tested, if not tweaked, by their developers. But some older products will just be left to die off over time as users ultimately, ploddingly, transition to the new Microsoft OS.

What can I do now?

Obviously, we do not recommend upgrading in this environment unless you are certain that your printer or software is supported under Windows 10. You should also know that there is no easy way to reverse a Windows 10 upgrade, once applied. Instead of jumping into the unknown, please contact one of our experts at +1 704.535.5200, for guidance. We will be happy to help you determine what is supported under Windows 10 currently, or if your items will be supported via a future driver or program release. As we become aware of Windows 10 support announcements, we’ll note them here on our blog – so keep an eye on this space.

Of course, we’d also be delighted to help you shop for a new device or software too!

Datacard SD360 Printer

Review: The Datacard® SD360™ Card Printer

It is good to have a chance to see what others say about a product before you purchase it.  With a review, you are able to see what the good points and negative points may be about an item prior to purchase.  Following is a look at the Datacard® SD360™ card printer.

Datacard SD360 Printer

 

Datacard SD360 Card Printer Review

Featuring industry-leading innovations that make desktop ID card printing simple, the Datacard® SD360™ two-sided card printer is an economical solution for numerous desktop printing applications. Standard, built-in Ethernet and USB ports as well as a browser-based Print Manager help users integrate the printers into just about any application or IT environment, including small- to medium-sized organizations such as schools, hospitals, fitness clubs, etc.

With superior speed and productivity, the SD360 prints high-resolution 300dpi full-color cards in less time than your standard printer – printing up to 155 dual-sided cards per hour. With easy operation that anyone can master, the card printer offers intuitive icons that guide users through the soft-touch control panel and LCD screen.  Cards and supplies are easy to load, and the ergonomically designed ribbon cartridges include a drop-in cleaning roller. 

One of the most unique and stand-out features for this printer is that it is engineered for Earth-friendly performance.  The printer has earned an ENERGY STAR® qualification by consuming far less electricity than others on the market, as well as features biodegradable supply cores made with EcoPure® additive, recyclable packaging and power-down button – ultimately setting new benchmarks for environmentally responsible card printing.

If you want a card printer with outstanding print quality, reliability, easy operation and efficiency in a small footprint, then the Datacard SD360 card printer is for you!

 

We invite your comments and feedback about the printer as well in our comments section. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Can I Pre-Punch My PVC ID Cards?

pvc cardsThe simple answer to that question is yes. All you need to do when ordering  your Image Grade PVC card stock is to ask to have them pre-punched. We will ensure the card expert that punches the cards on your behalf maintains the graphic intergrity of the cards by wearing gloves to ensure the oils from the skin do not touch the surface of the card.

If you would prefer to punch the cards yourself, Safe-Card ID Services offers a wide range of slot punches for all volumes of cards to all budgets. Remember no matter which slot punch you use, it can and will only punch one card at a time.

The catch about pre-punching you cards is that if you are using a direct to card printer you run the risk of damaging the print head causing a nce white line appear across your printed card. A print head will cost about $500-700 to replace.

One solution to this problem is to use a re-transfer card printer, such as the Fargo HDP5000. Re-transfer printers print onto the underside of a film that is heat rolled onto the card surface, so the print head never touches the card.

To learn more about pre-punched cards or a re-transfer printer give an expert at Safe-Card ID Services a call today.

 

Visual Security and Your ID Card Program

A number of visual security features can be added to your ID card program to decrease the likelihood of fraud or counterfeiting. While some of the features are specific to the brand and model printer you own, a few features can be implemented regardless of the type of printer. These include peel-and-stick holographic markers that can be applied by hand before printing or a holographic overlaminate. There are also whole card holographic stickers you can apply after you print a card. While most over-laminates require a laminating module in the printer you can laminate cards with a holographic ribbon on the Evolis line of printers as shown in the image to the left.

To learn more about how to incorporate these features into your ID card program give an expert at Safe-Card ID Services a call.

A Few Common ID Card Applications

There are a number of ways to utilize the PVC cards printed on an ID card printer. From identification cards for business to membership cards for a health club, ID cards are easily adaptable to various industries and applications. Why spend the extra money and time to have them outsourced when you can do it yourself? Common applications include:

Employee Identification

Accurately track time and attendance
Control location access
Store employee information

Student Identification Badges

Accurately track time and attendance
Cafeteria debit card
Library or equipment checkout
Control student, staff, and faculty access

Membership Cards

Offer membership perks
Allow access to the facility during set hours

Loyalty/Reward Cards

Offer discounts and savings to all or segmented customers
Encourage customers to visit frequently
Track valuable data to monitor inventory, item popularity, seasonal trends

Gift Cards

Issue store credit, debit, and gift cards on the spot
Access individual customer shopping history, such as items purchased and prices

Figuring out which ID Card Printer and software works best for your ID card project or projects give an expert at Safe-Card ID Services a call today.

Enjoy Enhanced Visual Security with HoloPatch Cards From Magicard

Magicard’s patented HoloKote system, available on all direct-to-card printers, offers you extra visual security at no extra cost by adding a watermark to each card that you print. For even more effective visual authentication, combining a standard or customized watermark with Magicard’s HoloPatch cards provides a distance-visible mark enabling a security guard or colleague to easily verify badge authenticity from a distance of six feet or more. It’s the ultimate in card security simplicity.

For more information on how to increase the security of your cards give an expert at Safe-Card ID Services a call today.

Perfect Color Fidelity for Magicard Rio Pro Users

You can now reproduce color images better than ever before thanks to a new embedded ICC profile for the Magicard Rio Pro. Brian Meyrick, Magicard Senior Software Engineer, explains: “Images can originate from many sources such as digital or mobile phone cameras, scans, image libraries or other online resources and as such can exist in many different color formats. Our challenge was to ensure that whatever the image source, format or software used along the workflow, the Rio Pro would produce an accurate result, faithful to the original image when printing on to a PVC card. The new ICC embedded profile provides an excellent solution.”

The profile is available in the newly-released Rio Pro driver – version 1.6.1, which can be downloaded from here. Note that the driver default setting is Gamma 1 – to select the ICC profile you will need to click on the advanced tab and change ‘color correction’ to ‘color management (built in to driver)’

For more information about the Magicard Rio Pro or any of Magicard’s other fine card printers contact an expert at Safe-Card ID Services TODAY.

 

Add Flexibilty and Volume to Your Card Presonalization Process

The Evolis Quantum is a flexible and scalable solution, ideal for personalizing plastic cards in large volumes. Quantum brings to the market the ease of use of a desktop printer matching the power of industrial machines, to support any card-based application: loyalty cards, transit passes, payment cards, membership cards, SIM and phone cards, and more. Quantum provides optimized value to any organization that needs to personalize cards in large quantities, from card manufacturers to service bureaus, or even banks and universities.

Reversible encoding module and fast production

Quantum stands on the market by its innovative design. This machine is shipped, standard, with a distinct detachable encoding unit that supports magnetic, contact smart card and contactless card encoding. This module is independent from the printing module, and operates autonomously to speed up the production process: a card is encoded while, simultaneously, another one is being printed.
Quantum offers top-notch performance as it prints more than 1000 cards per hour in monochrome and 150 cards in color. With such an impressive capacity, Quantum proves itself to be an affordable substitute for the conventional industrial machines.

New technical equipments for enhanced flexibility

Quantum can operate autonomously, thanks to its two dual-purpose hoppers holding 500 cards each, which can be used either as a feeding device or for collecting personalized cards.

In its revamped version, Quantum provides several new technical benefits, improved usability and efficiency:

A new card stacking and removal system that does not require the hoppers to be detached.
Optimized and user-friendlier card hoppers that benefit from an extended lifespan (use of a more robust actuator to unlock and detach the hoppers).

A metal-based body for enhanced durability and reliability over time.

A centralized locking system, provided as an option, to prevent tampering with the stack of cards, or while production is in progress.

To learm more about the Evolis Quantum or any other Evolis Card Printer, contact and expert at Safe-Card ID today.

 

International Dragon Boat Federation uses Zebra card printers for competitor IDs

Central to a sport spanning over 6000 years, the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) promotes dragon boat racing worldwide. A software and printer solution has now been developed specifically for processing Dragon Boat regatta participants, using Zebra’s ZXP series 3 printers to print personalised race ID cards and streamline the competitor accreditation process.

Check out the IDBF/Zebra video at the following link;

Zebra Card Printers

 For more information on how to create a custom ID solution to meet your needs call an expert at Safe-Card ID Services today.