How to Take ID Card Photos

custom idSo you are in charge of taking ID card photos for your organization. Of course, you know what you will hear. “This looks worse than my driver’s license.” Don’t worry, we have collected some tips that will guide you through taking best possible ID card photos.

To get the best pictures possible of your members, set up your camera in the following way:

  1. Set the digital camera to low resolution 640 x 480. You do not need a large picture to fit on an ID badge. Large pictures take up additional space on the computer.
  2. Set the flash to “flash fill”. Turn time and date stamps on the camera off.
  3. Test the camera by taking a few pictures prior to the picture shoot. This will help you feel comfortable with the particular camera and how it shoots. You can review the test shots to make sure that the pictures are correct in lighting and distance from the camera. Make sure that you photograph the person from the chest up and leave some room above the head.

For lighting and the setting we recommend the following:

  1. Have the person photographed stand against a neutral backdrop. (We use light blue.)
  2. For best results, the subject should wear clothing colors that compliment and contrast with their natural skin tone and hair color (i.e., brunettes should not wear brown; blondes should not stand in front of a beige wall).
  3. Make sure there is enough light in the room. Natural light will produce the best results. Often that is not possible. In that case, consider setting up various light sources around the room to provide the best results for your pictures.

When taking ID card photos, try these steps:

  1. Talk with the person prior to taking the picture. Let the person know if they need to smile or be serious. Let then know if something about their hair or clothing may need to be adjusted prior to the picture.
  2. Make sure that you photograph the person from the chest up and leave some room above the head.
  3. Hold the camera steady or use a tripod for best picture results.

If sending the pictures to a service bureau for custom card printing.

  1. Rename the .jpg picture to the person’s name, i.e., marysmith.jpg
  2. Send ID card photos to the ID badge service bureau through the method provided by your account representative.

Safe-Card ID provides all equipment and supplies needed to make IDbadges in house. We have ID card printers and ID software, cameras, and card making supplies. For more information on in house ID card systems or custom id cards for your organization, contact our experts toll free at +1 888-485-4696 or +1 704-535-5200.

When Blue Graphics or Text Print Purple

id card printer

When designing an id card, a card designer will organize the card layout and colors to just the right specifications on the screen. The badge design is perfect and so the test card is printed. It is a great feeling when the sample card looks identical to the card shown on the screen.

Unfortunately, sometimes the two images are not identical. One common difference is in the color “blue.” The blue color sometimes converts to purple on the printed card.

The way to fix this is to change the color matching that you will find in the driver. To change this go to your computer. Click on start, then settings, then printers & faxes. Right click on the driver and select “printing preferences.” Go to the device options and change the color matching to “monitor.” Test this option. If it is still not the color desired, test other options available.

If adjusting the printer driver settings does not do the trick, you will need to adjust the RGB values of the source color. Change the blue to a lighter color of blue (on the monitor) which should print a more normal blue color on your badges.

Our blog contains additional tips for id card design and id card printing.

Our company provides free toll free technical support for id card printer systems and equipment purchased here at Safe-Card. If we can assist you further with your photo id card printer or your id card software, call us toll free at 888-485-4696.

If your printer feeds several cards at once

id cards

When printing id cards, sometimes the id card printer will take in more than one card at a time. Usually the printer jams and stops leaving the card maker wondering what has happened. By opening up the printer and removing the multiple cards inside the printing area of the printer, the printer will be able to resume making the next id badge. Usually the card on which the error occurred will need to be manually set to reprint so that it is available for the id card holder.

Two steps will help to reduce the card jam.

1. The thickness lever at the input hopper should be set for the size of card printed. The standard PVC card is 30. Specialized cards may be more or less than 30.

2. Cards that have been recently unwrapped may be stuck together with static electricity. The best way to remove this is to hold the card by the edges and rock them back and forth until they do not cling together. You do not want to touch the printable area of the card with your fingers when handling the cards.

For specific information about current Fargo badge printers, contact us or visit the following:

fargo

 

Persona C30
Persona C30e
Fargo DTC 400
Fargo DTC 400e
Fargo DTC 550
Fargo HDP 5000

Four steps to purchasing the best id card printer

Choosing an ID card printer can give a purchaser analysis paralysis. Today’s printer models are many and have optional modules and add-ons that allow from basic to advanced, secure ID cards.

The answer to the following five basic questions will narrow the quest for choosing the right card printer for your organizational needs.

1. Will the ID card need printing on a single side of the card or both sides of the card?

Single side printing of ID cards is the most common printing method. Basic ID cards typically include a cardholder’s picture, name, and title entered into a template with the company logo. Cards printed on both sides are printed on a dual sided printer. These printers print the front side of the card and then internally flip the card and print the back side before card extraction from the printer. If budget is an issue and a single side printer must be purchased, it is possible to print the front side of the card and then manually reinsert the card to be printed with the layout of the back of the badge.

2. Will the ID card need to be printed in full color?

Printers can print in monochrome or full color. The requirements of the organization will determine which capability is needed.

3. Will data need to be encoded into the card?

ID cards have become multipurpose cards in many organizations. In addition to identification needs, companies and groups often need to integrate their card with technology to open doors or transmit information to various in house systems. Specialized cards can be purchased that will allow for data to be encoded into the card for specific applications. Printer modules available can provide the data encoding capability needed.

4. Will a high level of security need to be maintained with the card?

The nature of some organizations require an additional level of security to be added to their badge. Badge duplication is a hazard to any organization, but is detrimental to highly secure areas and organizations. In stock or custom holograms may be needed to provide an additional layer of uniqueness and security to badges. Modules to place holograms on the badge are available on various models of printers.

5. Will the badges be printed from a stand alone computer or from a network?

Badges that need to be printed from larger corporations are often easily managed from a network of authorized users in various locations. Ethernet capabilities are available on many of today’s ID card printer systems.

The best way to find the correct ID card printer for your organization is to contact a ID card sales representative. Feel free to contact our representatives toll free at 888-485-4696 for a custom ID card system quote for your organizational requirements.

The Process to Make Custom ID Cards

custom id

Needing id badges for your group or organization? Badges in the current market are made on a smooth finish PVC card. The cards are printed on specialized printers that usually print direct to card. The cards are 30 mil and are the same size as a standard credit card or driver’s license. The process to have id badges made is fairly simple. By answering a few questions about what is needed, an id card service company can design and make your cards hassle free.

One of the easiest questions to answer is what the purpose(s) of the badge is. Some badges are made for identification purposes. An example of this card may be a loyalty card that a retail organization would supply to returning customers. Other badges may authorize someone to enter a restricted area such as authorization for backstage at a concert. Some cards are multi purpose cards and provide an id as well as service more complex requirements such as door access or to debit an account. Larger corporations and higher educational facilities often incorporate a number of functions into their id card.

Once the service company is aware of the card purpose, the id card company will need to begin collecting information and needed items to begin the badge design process. The badge design will need to incorporate items required on the badge. Some of these may be the organizational logo, what types of text or bar codes are needed, if a picture is needed and other specific requirements.

When the id card design is finished and approved, specific card holder information and photos are imported into the badge design for individual card production.

Our badge design specialists can assist you with your custom id card requirements and provide pricing for your id card needs. Contact them toll free at 888-485-4696.

Evolis Card Printers – How to Install a Print Ribbon

Pebble

When putting a new ribbon into your Evolis ID card printer, it is important to install the correct ribbon in the right format to make card printing easy.

Make sure that you have the correct ribbon for the card you will be printing. A full color single side print will require a YMCKO print ribbon. A full color dual sided card will need a YMCKOK print ribbon to print both front and back of the card in the single pass. The printer used must also be able to print dual sided cards.

First, gently pull the adhesive tape holding the ribbon off.

Open the printer cover and place the ribbon correctly into the ribbon spindle. Follow the pictured instructions on the printer to determine what spool goes into each spindle.

Close the printer lid. The ribbon will automatically synchronize and be ready to print a card.

For more information about Evolis ID card printers, visit our Evolis Tattoo, Evolis Pebble, Evolis Dualys, Evolis Quantum or Evolis Securion product pages. For a free consultation regarding what printer would be the best fit for your application, contact us toll free at 888-485-4696.

Photo ID Service Bureau

custom id

There are hassles with creating id cards in house. From picking out the correct system that will incorporate all of the functions needed for your badge specifications to laying out the design of the card that will meet the expections of the boss. Sometimes, the job of printing id cards is easier to outsource to a professional id card company.

Companies that design id cards have had experience in various types of badge requirements. They understand the workings of the badge systems and can provide a custom card that will meet the current and proposed future needs of the organization. Allowing a company to complete the badges means that system upgrades for future badge requirements are handled by the id card company and no future worries about system upgrade requirements are necessary.

Custom ID card designers listen carefully to the needs of the client and ask questions needed to make sure that the card being designed will meet the application intended. The designers import the information provided and provide proofs for the client so that the badge result is clear prior to id card making.

Production staff carry out the process of making badges with the information provided. The badges may range from a simple black and white single side badge to a complex dual sided badge with encoded information.

A photo id service bureau puts the ability to produce photo ID cards in the hands of all organizations and contributes to more effective security systems.

For specific information about how the photo id card service bureau at Safe-Card ID can assist you with your custom name badge needs, contact us at 888-485-4696.

HealthCare Badges

Healthcare facilities are busy with patients, employees, doctors, and visitors daily entering the hospital doors. Handling the security needs at hospitals and healthcare facilities are an important part of the daily operations of the organization.

ID badges can be used at hospitals in a number of ways to assist with security and smooth functioning. Some uses include:

Access Control. An access control badge can limit access to certain cardholders to certain buildings at certain times in a 24 hour period. Each badge can be identified by the access system control and can allow doors to open for specified cardholders at authorized times. The doors can be doors from external areas of the hospital campus to specialized internal doors such as operating rooms.

Identification. Unauthorized visitors that visit secured areas of the hospital can be easily identified when photo ids identify the credentials of the cardholders. Photo id cards identifying patients, staff and medical providers diminish potential security issues.

Records. To track the patients activities and treatments, medical facilities are increasingly assigning id card and other tracking methods to people and supplies to make hospital visits smooth and efficient.
Account Debit. Photo id cards can be used to debit an employee account set up through the cafeteria or gift shop.

Payroll. Photo id cards can be used to track time and attendance for employees.

Health care id badge systems can be explained in detail by our id card printer experts. Contact them toll free at 888-485-4696.

School ID Cards

Student id cards are a popular use for today’s standard 30 ml plastic identification cards. The making of photo ids are a standard part of the beginning of the school year or at the first of the semester in colleges and universities.

ID cards are useful in many ways for smooth school operations. From checking out books in the library to debiting school lunch accounts in the lunchroom, id cards provide a system and level of security throughout the school environment.

Most K-12 schools use a simple, single-side badge for their students. Full color photographs and student information is placed on the card as well as a bar code for tracking various student activities. Depending on the requirements of the school, the card can be layered with security enhancements, printed dual side and encoded with specific information useful for the school system.

By having a system in house, a school can customize the badges with unique design and options for various school needs. Visitor id badges can be printed with a unique layout. Library processes are smooth with the scanning of a unique student bar code for media checkout. Cafeteria workers can verify the identity of a student as well as debit their lunch account by use of their id card. Attendance, registration, and vending machine payment are other uses for student id cards.

With the use of a student id system, many schools expand their id card use into staff ids for building access, attendance tracking and local retail discount use.

Setting up the id card system in your school is easy. One of our technical reps will be happy to assist you by our toll free phone lines for set up and badge design.

For a free consultation for your K-12 ids or university needs, contact our id card printer sales reps toll free at 888-485-4696.

What is a good photo id camera?

A photo id requires the visual representation of the card holder on the card. There are a number of options to obtain the necessary picture to place on the current pvc plastic card standard of today.

An id camera is needed to take a picture that will easily work on your id badges.

A popular type of id card camera is the webcam. The webcam is connected to the pc and takes photos through a computer application. A future cardholder will stand next to a backdrop in front of the camera while the computer operator previews the photo, snaps the picture and imports it into the computer for use. This option works well if all of the employees are in the same location as the employee must come to the computer area for the picture to be taken.

The popular digital camera on the market will also take high quality photos for id badges. The badge maker can mount the camera on a tripod and take pictures of cardholders in any location. Upon return of the camera to the computer, the pictures can be uploaded into a file or into the id card software being used to complete the badge. The drawback to this type of picture is often user related. Most cameras take large, quality pictures. The file size of these photos are too cumbersome for most photo id software. The best size for photo ids is 640×480 pixels or as small as the camera will save the picture.

Cropping and sizing of pictures is time consuming. To alieve this problem, most id card printer systems provided with a camera come with drivers and software to correct the picture dimensions for id card printing.

ID card camera information can be found on our website, www.safecardid.com. For specific questions on id card cameras or id card systems, contact our experts at 888-485-4696.