If your aim is to make your business more efficient and secure, a plastic ID card printer can be a one of the best investments a business can make. These handy little gadgets make it simple for you to design, edit and print ID cards at the push of a button.
However, choosing a printer can be a tricky task. There are a huge number of models each with their own specialised features and functions. Today, we’re going to look at 3 of our top printer picks for 2019. These printers are strong all-rounders and are suitable for a variety of business uses.
EVOLIS BADGY
The Evolis Badgy 200 printer is one of the best desktop printers on the market today. The Badgy is a DTC (direct-to-card) printer. This means that the printer uses a thermal print head which passes over a colour ribbon which in turn fuses the colour onto your card to create your image.
What sets the Badgy apart from other DTC printers is that the print head and the ribbon are slightly larger than the actual surface area of the card. This allows it to render edge to edge images whereas most DTC printers leave a thin white border around the card edge where the print head does not cover.
This machine offers a 300 DPI resolution which is quite standard for the market. While this certainly isn’t the most detailed printer available, images are clear and detailed and all but the smallest text is clearly legible.
Each colour ribbon yields up to a 100 full-colour cards and you can bump that up to 500 if you’re printing monochrome.
You can find the badgy and other Evolis Printers at CardLogic.
Fargo HDP 5000
With regards to ID card printers, Fargo has long been renowned as the pack leader. Their high-security machines have been the principal choice for Government and large corporate needs, mostly due to their unwavering reliability and build quality.
The HDP5000 is a retransfer printer which offers significantly improved print quality over it’s DTC counterparts.
The HDP5000 has a few distinctive highlights that make it standout against comparable brands. Firstly, The HHDP5000 has such a unique printing quality that utilises “microimages” which make it next to impossible to clone the card without the original template.
This printer has many encoding options available. This offers greater flexibility in the workplace – especially those using access control systems. The Fargo HDP5000 is best used in larger organisations where security is of paramount importance.
Magicard Enduro 3e
Known for their outstanding reliability, Magicard printers offers simplicity and quality that are suitable for a wide range of businesses. The Enduro 3E isn’t just a card printer, it’s an all in one security suite providing everything you need to create ID Cards quickly and easily. The Enduro is Magicard’s best-selling printer and is a great place to start if you’re new to printing cards.
The Enduro is a DTC model, the most commonly used desktop printer format. What makes it unique is the colour mapping sensors that give a flawless finish. It also supports dual-sided printing so you can print large batches of cards uninterrupted.
This machine also comes equipped with Magicard’s patented HoloKote technology. This is an anti-counterfeit measure usually found on more expensive models. The Holokote is a special segment of ribbon which adds a hologram to each card making it virtually impossible to clone the card. You can choose the hologram placement on your card. This is one of the most secure options available on the market.
The Enduro Printer takes just 35 seconds to print a card placing it slap bang in the middle of the other two models. If youre printing monochrome, you’ll knock that down to just 7 seconds per-card. All things considered the Enduro is a great all-rounder for business of all sizes. It’s fast, secure and offers great quality.
Which Plastic ID Card Printer is Right for Me?
When choosing your ID Card printer, there are a few factors to consider. For most, it typically comes down to cost, security and quality.
The most balanced model of our three picks is easily the Enduro. Its secure, cost-effective and offers great print quality.
For those focused-on security above all else, you can’t do much better than the HDP5000. It has by far the highest print quality and advanced security features that make it ideal for big businesses and organisations that favour privacy.
The Caveat with these printers is they’re significantly more expensive than DTC printers.
Finally, the Badgy is a great option for those who want something cheap and cheerful. Although it may be lacking in technical specs, it’s still a very high quality machine from a great manufacturer.
You can find the discussed Card Printers at CardLogic.
Ultimately, the choice is up to you.