Printers for personalization of access cards.
In this review, we will talk about equipment without which it is difficult to imagine modern access control and management systems (ACMS). We will talk about devices for personalization of the most widely used user identifiers — contactless plastic cards (proximity, smart). Having appeared relatively recently, these cards have decisively pushed aside many of their competitors — cards with a magnetic strip, barcode and other carriers of identification information.
A plastic card is, in fact, an electronic key. It contains a unique code by which the system identifies a person passing through a checkpoint, determines his access rights to various premises.
In most cases, a plastic card must be personalized, i.e., the owner's personal data must be placed on it: last name, first name and patronymic, name of the organization, position. Personalization technologies also allow, if necessary, to place a photo of its owner on the card. In this case, the card can rightfully be considered an official ID.
A set of equipment for personalization is, as a rule, a whole complex of various devices, which includes a digital camera, a scanner, a card layout editor (or any graphic editor), a personal computer and, of course, a card printer.
Card personalization printers use sublimation (thermal transfer) or retransfer printing technologies. Today, these technologies are optimal for printing on self-adhesive plastic stickers or directly on cards (the thickness of cards used in printers is, unfortunately, limited and usually ranges from 0.3 mm to 1.6 mm; retransfer card printers allow printing on cards up to 2.4 mm). Relatively low printing costs for small print runs, minimal time required for prepress preparation, the ability to quickly print graphic and photo images with a resolution of up to 300 dpi and using up to 16.7 million colors and 256 different shades of color — all these undoubted advantages of card printers have predetermined their widespread use in ACS and integrated security systems. Almost all models produced by leading global manufacturers are currently available on the Russian market (readers can read about them in the review section of the material). They have different functional capabilities, so that even the most demanding consumer can choose exactly the equipment that is necessary to solve the problems facing him. Indeed, there is plenty to choose from. For example, one-sided or two-sided printing — it is clear that with two-sided personalization it is much more difficult to counterfeit a card. Or such a function as magnetic strip encoding, the use of which allows you to program an identification code to control access to individual rooms. There are models that not only apply new information to the card, but also erase outdated and unnecessary information. That is, the service life of the card is significantly increased. The most advanced models of card printers can apply a special protective layer to the card, which also increases its service life, encode smart cards (if there is a built-in encoder), apply images to cards made of PVC, ABC, PET and other materials.In the simplest cases, printing on cards can be done using programs for regular printers. But, to be fair, it should be said that only specialized software for ACS (access control and management systems) allows full use of the functional capabilities of the equipment.
With the help of such software, layouts of access cards and passes are created. Specialized software for ACS, as a rule, has a built-in graphic editor with various image processing functions. Ready-made employee databases from the software for ACS can be used to personalize passes and certificates. The process of preliminary image processing when entering and saving them in the database is fully automated. Registration of the issuance of passes and storage of the history of their issuance is also carried out automatically. In addition, specialized software provides a wide choice of image input sources.
Working with card printers does not require long-term special training. Almost any normal user of a personal computer can master the printing and prepress process.
Budget printer models cost around 00–2000. The resource of such a printer is several thousand cards. The average price segment is printers costing 00–5000, which have a wider range of additional options. The resource of such printers can reach tens of thousands of prints. Equipment in the highest price niche (from 000) is, as a rule, models in which printing occurs not on the card, but on a film, which is subsequently automatically applied to the card (retransfer printers). The resource of such printers can be more than 100,000 prints.
Using card printers is really convenient. Users get complete freedom to develop a card design, can quickly apply a photo of the owner, text, encode a magnetic strip or smart chip to the card.
But before purchasing a complex, carefully calculate whether your enterprise needs it. According to experts, such complexes pay for themselves with a staff of several hundred people. In addition, there are many companies, including companies that install access control systems, that will print the required number of cards for you for quite reasonable money.
Although, of course, efficiency and security are often more important than money.
CP40 Plus (DataCard) Plastic Card Printer
The printer can print up to 160 full-color or up to 750 monochrome images per hour. Texts, logos, and digital signatures are printed on one side of the card from edge to edge. Double-sided printing is possible with manual feeding. It is possible to apply color or black-and-white photographs, as well as various barcodes and background images.
CP40 Plus automatically detects the type of ink ribbon and warns that the ribbon is about to run out. Compatible with Microsoft Windows 000, XP, Vista, NT operating systems. The driver provides image and color customization, diagnostics, design preview, user support in on-line mode. The printer has a sound and visual error message function. Equipped with a backlit LCD indicator. Improved card cleaning system before printing.
Magicard Enduro Card Printer (Ultra Electronics)
The printer has the ability to switch from single-sided (Enduro) to double-sided (Enduro Duo) printing on-site by the user. The built-in card protection function against counterfeiting (Holokote) allows one of several security patterns to be applied to the card during printing. Cards are fed automatically. Manual card feeding is also possible if necessary. Magicard Enduro has small dimensions, modern design. The interface for communication with the computer is USB.
The printer provides high-quality monochrome edge-to-edge printing and can be equipped with a HICO/LOCO magnetic card encoder (optional).
The user can choose various options for security patterns.
Operating temperature – from +10 to +30 C, weight 5.5 kg. Print speed – 35 seconds per card. Printing method – sublimation. Resolution – 300 dpi. Card thickness – from 0.51 to 1.02 mm, card material – PVC. Print length – 85.6 mm, width – 54 mm.
Fargo Persona C30e printer for personalizing access cards on one or both sides (Fargo)
Persona C30e sublimation printers are designed for single- or double-sided printing of text and graphic information on the surfaces of plastic identification access cards. They personalize cards from 9 to 40 mil thick, including thin Proximity and iClass cards from HID, with a resolution of 300 dpi and a speed of 7 to 35 seconds. For printing on 2 mm thick cards, special stickers with one self-adhesive surface are used, which are included in the Persona C30e delivery set or supplied separately. These printers have a double-sided printing function, magnetic strip encoding and are equipped with a module for connecting to Ethernet.
To develop simple access card layouts, you can use the free Asure ID Solo software, which has various card design templates and also allows you to apply a barcode and program a magnetic strip. For more complex layouts, we recommend purchasing the Asure ID Express software, which supports all personalization functions, batch printing, creating user reports and password protection.
Pebble4 (Evolis)
Pebble4 is an effective tool for single-sided printing of ID cards for company employees, students, visitors, as well as transport cards, loyalty cards, payment system cards and others.
The new microprocessor and new print head provide high-quality printing of graphic images.
Print speed is 150 cards per hour in color and 1000 cards per hour in monochrome. It is possible to print in the mode of loading cards one by one. The printer is also equipped with a loading device for 100 cards for printing in series.
Securion (Evolis)
Coding options: magnetic stripe, smart and contactless chips (they can be combined in one printer). Equipped with a central locking system to prevent theft of film, coating, rejected or clean cards. The Securion printer can also be protected with a password if you activate the corresponding function in the software.
The basic package includes an Ethernet port, a lock, a reject tray, a loading device and a 100-card receiving tray, an LCD indicator, etc.
Securion can apply a 1.0 mil coating to standard PVC cards (single-sided lamination), which reduces the cost of one card by about 10%.
FARGO HDP5000 Printer (Fargo)
The FARGO HDP5000 modular retransfer printer prints a high-quality full-color image first on the back of the HDP Film carrier film, and then transfers it to the card. As a result, the image is under a layer of carrier tape, which provides additional protection. With this printing method, the print head does not touch the surface of the card, which greatly increases its service life. HDP technology allows you to apply an image close to the very edges of the smart chip and print beyond the edges of the card, leaving no margins. Cards printed on the HDP5000 printer have a high degree of visual protection, which is achieved by using holographic lamination and tapes with an ultraviolet panel. The printer has a modular design that allows you to first buy a single-sided printer, and then add a double-sided printing module, single- or double-sided lamination modules, magnetic stripe encoding modules, proximity cards, contact and contactless smart cards.