Contactless Id Cards Lead the Way in 2006

This article discusses how new ID printers challenges the difficulties of printing smooth and user friendly contactless id cards.

The cards industry has been predicting for a number of years that Contactless cards will take over, but it finally seems to be happening. While the security and convenience aspects of contactless cards over magnetic stripe cards are well understood, the adoption of contactless has been relatively slow, particularly in the US. But this is changing now.

What is driving the widespread use of Contactless cards?
• Homeland security projects like the FIPS 201 card for US government agencies.
• National ID cards.
• Access Control applications for corporate and educational sites and airports.
• Payment card projects being driven by the major banks and credit card companies.

While the high profile government and bank projects are getting the media attention, it's actually the use of contactless cards by companies, airports, and educational establishments for their own use which represents the greatest volume of contactless ID cards. The publicity caused by the government projects is making organizations think about the security and convenience aspects of contactless cards.

ENCODING & PRINTING IN ONE
For desktop card printing, the ID card printer, such as the Magicard Rio 2 or Tango 2, can be configured to have an inbuilt encoder. The encoder is used to program the personal details for the ID card (such as the user's unique ID number, name, and access privileges). This is done in the printer, usually just before printing the card. The ID card printer becomes a ‘one-stop card issuance station'; a complete, printed and encoded card can be immediately issued to the card holder.

OVERCOMING PRINTING CHALLENGES
Contactless cards do sometimes present a printing challenge. In the past, contactless cards were often ‘bumpy', with an uneven surface caused by the chip and antenna inside the card. The solution to putting an image on these cards was to print on a ‘stickyback' card, which is then stuck onto the contactless card; this is still used where the user wants to re-use contactless cards, but of course is not a very secure solution. Most contactless cards nowadays are flat and can be printed on consistently; however, some cards, particularly those that combine contactless technology with contact chips, can still be difficult to print on every time. This is where reverse-transfer printing comes in. Reverse transfer is a technology where the image is printed onto a re-transfer film, which is then laminated onto the card. This has the advantage that virtually any card can be printed onto, irrespective of surface irregularities or material type. The Magicard Prima reverse transfer printer can also be fitted with various contactless encoders for one-stop card issuance.

In summary, the technology to print and encode contactless cards with desktop ID card printers is well established, and user's should not be afraid of specifiying contactless cards to enhance the security and user friendliness of their ID cards.

Written By Andy Matko, Global Marketing Manager, Ultra Electronics Card Systems
Edited By Valerie Douard, Global Marketing and Communications Manager, Ultra Electronics Manufacturing card systems


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