Have you tried designing and printing your own ID card on your very own personal computer and handy dandy printer? I am pretty sure you used cardboard or a similar material for the ID itself, which you then run through a laminating machine. But have you ever wondered, “Can I feed this ordinary printer plastic cards so I won’t use a laminating machine anymore? I have 100 ID’s to print!” The answer, of course, for an ordinary printer, is “no, you cannot”!
“What do you mean, ‘an ordinary printer’?” you ask. Well, believe it or not, there are printers created especially for printing on plastic cards, or PVC (polyvinyl chloride) cards. These printers look different from the ordinary desktop printers that you may have right now. ID card printers have single card feeders attached to them, and usually, a specific, standardized ID size (85.60 x 53.98 mm, or “ID-1” under ISO-IEC 7810) is used, so you do not need to worry about cutting the card (and your skin) to the size you want. Also, since ID card printers already use PVC cards, there is really no need to use a separate laminating machine to protect the printed ID’s.
PVC ID card printers usually have their own drivers and programs included in their package so customization becomes even easier for you! Some may even have templates for you to follow. All you need to do is design your card, attach a scanned copy of the ID holder’s ID picture, input his information, hit the “print” button and voila – instant ID!
“This kind of gadget seems to be expensive,” you may say. Well, they do come at a price, I mean, they ARE specialized printers! But the cost is totally worth it compared to its efficiency and quality of its output. For example, an ID card printer using a reverse image technology may cost around $1,000 to 2,000, more specialized printers can cost up to $8,000.00 or more – but that’s for someone or a company that specialize on creating ID’s in bulk for business purposes. The cost for the supplies for card printers may also vary. PVC ID cards may cost from around $10 to $70 (or so) for every 100 pieces. Printer ribbons (the source of color when printing) can cost at around $65 or more. ID card printing software or programs have a tag of around $700 to more than $1,000. All these supplies – the printer itself, ID cards, ribbons, parts and even maintenance – are available on the nearest computer hardware or similar specialty shop. Of course, they can also be found online!
These printers, by the way, are certainly not recommended for just anybody or just for personal use. As you may have noticed, they can come with a high price on them. But if you work for a company, or you have your own printing business or company, these specialized card printers can be very convenient, profitable and can even save you money!