The ID cards that you use day in and day out at your office or your workplace are known as PVC or plastic ID cards. They are a huge part of your day for one or another purpose, but have you ever wondered how they are made? Well, here’s a quick guide to the working and making of plastic ID cards and their printers.
Let’s get exploring,
Plastic ID Card Printers
A plastic ID card printer is a machine that is used to print plastic ID cards. This isn’t your average printer, these printers are designed to produce plastic ID cards for custom-design business cards, identity cards, credit cards, etc.
Your average printer and the ID card printer have more or less the same working, but the difference is the finished product. Moreover, plastic ID card printers are more expensive than inkjet printers.
Apart from plastic ID cards, these printers are also ideal for printing visitor badges, event passes, vendor badges, personal access cards, etc.
Here’s how a plastic care printer works,
Types of Plastic ID Card Printers and How They Work
You start by adding a blank card to the printer; this is the card that will get the design printed on.
Once you turn on the printer, the heat from the machine will liquefy the ink on the ribbon panel and transfer the design directly onto the card. The whole process takes more or less a minute.
The process sounds simple, but there are a few variations to printing ID cards, and it’s important to understand these variations to invest in the right one. Here are the most common types of printers used by small and large-scale businesses.
Direct-To-Card Plastic Card Printers
These printers are used to print design directly onto the plastic card. These printers are fast and highly reliable.
They are also easy to use and are most commonly used printers, it uses a process called the dye sublimation method for printing.
Retransfer Plastic Card Printers
Retransfer printers are also known as reverse transfer printers. These types of printers are different from direct-to-card printers because these printers first print on a clear sheet and then thermally bond the design onto the PVC cards.
The two steps slow down the printing process, so these printers aren’t as fast as the DTC printers. However, they create a more permanent and durable card than DTC printers.
Inkjet Plastic Card Printers
Inkjet printers for plastic cards are the same as regular inkjet printers. In such printers, the inkjet cartridges utilise liquid ink and spray the design onto the card using tiny nozzles.
You can use these printers to unleash the full potential of your business and add high security to your work place.
PVC ID cards are highly useful, and when you print them in-house, they are also highly efficient and affordable. Here are some of the many benefits of PVC ID cards.
- They are highly durable.
- They add security to your workplace.
- They are easy to use and have a high-resolution print
- They are also customisable and are ideal for brand recognition
All in all, these ID card printers are an important part of all professional workplaces.
