Photo ID Card Printers and ID Badge Holder Enhance Security

It is common to find ID cards at the office, at events and in many other areas of our daily life. Cards such as these are made at a desk sized printer that is commonly located on a desk at the organizations main office. ID cards can be printed and provided to employees, guests and members of the organization. Often an ID badge holder is included with the badge for easily displaying the card.

Mainstream photo ID card printers offer full color or monochrome ribbons with an overcoat later to provide extra protection for the printed card. This overcoat does provide protection to the card and provides a method of securing the text and custom information printed on the card. There have been tests, however, to show that this overlay can be stripped and the text can be manipulated with the right chemicals.

For this reason, corporations and government needs often require the use of a lamination of the plastic card. With the use of a laminate overlay, any tampering with the card surface will be noticeable as the removal of the overlay will also damage the surface of the card. The overlaminate will provide additional protection for the card.

Clear overlaminates are available for cards that are need the additional layer for security or increased durability. Some overlaminates are holograms. These provide an extra flair to the card that can be appealing and indicate a highly secure card. By using a custom hologram, an organization can display a unique look using their choice of logo or text that signifies that the card is branded to them and that it has not be tampered with since issue.

Many of the professional ID card printers have the capability to add holograms to the ID card at the time of card printing. The module in the printer can be purchased at the time of card printer purchase. Some current printers are able to be purchased without this module initially, with the understanding that the lamination capability can be added by purchasing it in the future and adding it in the field by the end user. Lamination capabilities vary, but many printers have the option of a single side card lamination option or a dual sided lamination capability. These printers are more costly than a basic entry level printer, but they provide extra security and are generally more durable.

The majority of printer manufacturers have a secure level line of ID card printer models to choose from. Some of the models which provide the lamination option are below:

The Evolis secure printer is called the Securion. It is a dual sided printer and contains additional security features that are attractive to many organizations. The warranty for this printer is 2 years or 100,000 card prints.

Fargo provides a flexible printer that can be upgraded with a lamination unit in the field after purchase. The HDP means high definition. This type of printing provides excellent printing results by using a reverse transfer printing method. This printer has a two year warranty with a lifetime printhead warranty.

The Magicard Tango+L offers both single and dual sided lamination with coordinating printing options. It comes with Ethernet, USB and parallel connectivity. A 3 year warranty is available with this printer.