Getting the Right Badge
How to choose the perfect ID card printer for your business
- By Monique Merhige
- Feb 01, 2016
Each industry has its own specific requirements for photo ID card
solutions. The guidelines used by each market vary depending on
the type of badges that companies need to print and the frequency.
There are many different types of ID badges that most organizations
use which include employee ID cards, visitor ID cards, access
control cards or student/faculty ID cards.
The main purpose of these cards is to identify who has access to a facility on
a daily basis. Most businesses need to be able to print badges quickly and on the
spot to help create a secure environment where people feel safe and secure. By having
the ability to print photo ID Badges on premises, organizations can streamline
their business processes and develop an enhanced security system that improves
efficiency and safety throughout the facility.
By investing in the right photo ID printer, organizations can reap the benefits
of having the ability to issue ID badges on-site for new hires and visitors immediately.
It all starts with finding the right printer for your firm. This can sometimes be
a daunting task as the options can be overwhelming and difficult to differentiate.
Whether you are a small business or large corporation,
the benefits of selecting the right on-site photo
ID card printer are tremendous.
HOW IS THE EDUCATION MARKET USING ID
CARD SOLUTIONS?
Outside of the corporate sector, ID cards have been
widely adopted in the education market and continue
to be a main focal point of most schools and college
campuses around the world. A photo ID badge can
help schools visually identify students, staff and visitors
and at the same time can be used to control access
to buildings, manage equipment checkouts, lunch
programs, and even pay for campus purchases.
There are certain ID printers that have been designed
to meet the requirements of schools and can
print not only student and faculty IDs but library
cards, volunteer IDs, payment cards, and event IDs.
Deciding what you want to include on your badge
up front can help determine the best ID printer to
invest in.
A prime example of how a school can benefit
from purchasing a photo ID printer is The University
of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Campus. The college
worked with IDSecurityOnline.com - to help them select
the right ID card solution for the school. They
recently purchased a new Fargo DTC1250e printer.
All student ID Badges are generated in-house from
the Mayaguez Office of the Dean of Students with
their own ID badge printer. In order for a student to
receive a badge, they need to provide an original legal
identification document (driver license, passport) and
they also need to provide evidence of enrollment in
the present or upcoming semester by showing a payment
receipt. Without these documents, a student
would not receive a photo ID badge and could not access
campus services throughout the university. The
ID badge is required to take exams, borrow audiovisual
equipment or books, access computer labs, and
for any service requested on campus.
CONSIDER THIS PRIOR TO
PURCHASING A PRINTER
Whether you are in the healthcare, education, or transportation industry, there are certain
features of an ID card printer that
should be reviewed prior to purchasing
one. Two important factors that will
help determine the type of printer you
need is the size of your company and if
you require a high volume application.
Other key points to consider when
choosing a printer are printing singleor
double-sided, connecting the printer
to a computer or multiple computers,
the amount of cards needed to be printed
and how secure the cards need to be.
Do you need to print on one side or
both sides?
If you are planning to print on one
side of a card, choose a single-sided ID
card printer. Compact and easy-to-use,
single-sided card printers are perfect to
print basic visual IDs. Print your logo,
the cardholder’s name and picture, and
even a barcode.
If you need to print on both sides,
go for a duplex ID card printer. Duplex,
or dual-sided, printers will automatically
flip your cards to print on
both sides in one pass. This option allows
you to include more information
to your cards such as a schedule for
student IDs or contact information for
membership cards.
Will your card printer be connected to
a network?
Card printers come standard with a
USB interface to connect your printer to
your computer. However, if several computers
need to access your card printer,
you will need Ethernet connectivity.
Some manufacturers offer USB and
Ethernet as standard but some don’t, so
make sure to select a card printer with
Ethernet if needed.
Will you store data on your cards?
If the answer is yes, you will have to
choose a printer with the right encoder.
You can choose from one of two options:
magnetic cards or smart cards.
Magnetic cards are widely used for
access control or time & attendance,
magnetic encoding is an affordable way
to create secure badges, while smart
cards are used if you need extra security
or need to store more data into your
cards, go with a printer with smart card
encoder. If crowd control is an issue,
RFID cards would definitely add convenience
to your access control process.
How many cards will you print per
year?
Entry-level printers are built to print
up to a few hundred cards a year. If the
amount of cards that you need to print
is much higher, look for card printers
that are designed for high volumes.
A key component is the card feeder:
when entry-level printers offer manual
feeding or a 50-card input hopper,
high-volume printers can include a
feeder with a capacity of 500 cards.
Do you need highly-secure cards?
To reduce the risk of counterfeiting
or tampering, go with laminated cards.
Adding a clear or custom layer of protection
to your cards will help you create
highly-secure badges. Laminating card printers offer lamination on one side or both
sides of the cards.
ON-SITE ID CARD PRINTER PROVES TO BE
BENEFICIAL FOR MUELLER REPORTS
Another company reaping the benefits of investing
in their own ID card printer is Mueller Reports, a
company that provides data collection and business
intelligence solutions for insurance carriers and financial
institutions. With field representatives, managers,
and trainers in 50 states, the main challenge Mueller
Reports faced was having customers easily recognize
them as Mueller employees when on the road.
The ability to limit who had access to the main
headquarters in Buffalo to employees only was also
imperative. Mueller needed to find a solution that
would help keep their employees and information safe
and secure.
“Due to the wide array of employees we have on
staff throughout the nation, it was important for us
to find an ID card company who could keep up with
our expansion throughout 50 states,” said Tanya L.
Petrea, logistic coordinator at Mueller Reports. “We
were lucky to find IDSecurityOnline who has proven
to be extremely knowledgeable on badge printers and
can quickly get us thousands of ID cards, eliminating
any downtime for our company.
For the last four years, Mueller Services has being
working with IDSecurityOnline and can print
all badges internally for their wide-range of employees
spanning 50 states. The relationship began
when Mueller’s IT manager purchased an ID Badge
Printer and recommended using IDSecurityOnline
for all ID Cards. The recommendation paid off as
the company can now manage their staff effectively
in every state. Mueller has thousands of employees
and has purchased badges for each employee. As an
added safety measure, field representatives are given
two badges to wear so they can be easily recognized
by customers.
Each badge contains the person’s name, company
and photo which is worn by all field representatives,
managers, trainers, office workers and anyone that is
employed by Mueller Reports. Customers can now
quickly recognize a Mueller employee anywhere in
the nation and time-sensitive information can continue
to flow freely without any delays. It was important
to Mueller to make sure that customers felt
comfortable and at ease when meeting with Mueller’s
professionals. Each employee is required to
wear their ID Cards at all times while on the job.
The cards are swiped upon entrance into the Buffalo,
N.Y. facility and the identity of each employee
is confirmed upon entry.
“We are happy that we gave Mueller Reports the
ability to print badges internally, which in return allowed
them to make ID cards quickly for new employees
and keep expanding the organization to exceed
over 1,000 employees.” said Gabriel Schonzeit,
CEO of IDSecurityOnline.com. “Our goal is to help
forge strong relationships with our clients and be part
of their growth by providing the right ID Card Solutions
to help keep their employees safe and secure no
matter how quickly they grow.”
As companies continue to grow and expand their
workforce, it’s imperative that they have a plan in place
for their ID card solutions and continue delivering a safe
environment for everyone. By investing
in the right photo ID card printer,
the company is investing in the future
safety of their employees.
This article originally appeared in the February 2016 issue of Security Today.