Practice Safe Handling With HID and Access Cards

HID Access Cards

HID and access cards are typically shipped to you shrink wrapped and since they can cost significantly more than traditional PVC it is important to follow these tips;

Take care not to scratch the cards when opening the wrapping, especially when using a sharp implement.

Handle cards by the edges, not by the flat finished surface.

Use lint free gloves or finger cots to prevent hand oils from transferring to the
cards, which can cause smudging, fingerprints or other distortions
when printing.

Card image quality may vary even with careful card handling. This can be due to printer setup variations, lot to lot material variations, environmental changes, printer types, background color selections and other variables.
HID and access cards have been quality tested to meet requirements for high quality images. Failure to achieve a desired image quality is typically not the fault of the card.

For more information contact an expert at Safe-Card ID Services today.

 

Access & Proximity ID Card Design Tips

Proximity Cards are made with layers of PVC and a glossy surface intended for Photo ID printing. Proximity cards and contactless smart cards contain an antenna coil and integrated electronic chip. Care should be taken to follow these printing recommendations for best results.

As you may encounter color variations or printing voids with direct to card printers due to surface imperfections caused by the embedded chip and antenna you should;

  • Avoid large areas with solid or half-tone backgrounds when designing card artwork and use artwork with varied color or pattern to minimize these color variations and printing voids.
  • If the design must print over the internal chip, we recommend the use of a reverse transfer printer such as the Fargo HDP5000.
  • Do not place a photo portrait over the chip location or opposite the edge of a magnetic stripe.

When designing card artwork it’s best to print a few test cards, and be ready to make artwork adjustments as needed.
If your printer is capable of edge-to-edge printing, test several cards to check the printer’s capability. For more infrmation contact an expert at Safe-Card ID Services.

Proper Access/HID Card Slotting

Access or proximity cards will have slot punch indicators, small dots visible on the card back
which show the only allowable slot locations for the card. While it is perfectly acceptable to slot punch your access cards, we strongly suggest using badge grippers or clamps instead. These attachment devices work the same as slot clips, and better maintain the structural integrity of your technology card.

If you must slot punch the card, carefully center the indicator marks to the punch, and punch only where the indicator marks appear. Any other position may damage the interior circuitry and thus cause the card not to work.

Always test the first card after printing and slotting. Once you are satisfied with the results you can go ahead and print the rest of the batch. For more information contact an expert at Safe-Card ID Services today.

 

New Litho Grade Graphic PVC Cards

PVC CardsIn April of 2012, Safe-Card ID is adding litho grade PVC cards as a lower priced option in our PVC cardstock lineup. The PVC cards are the same size and thickness of traditional ID cardstock. 3.375″ x 2.125″ or 85.6 mm x 54 mm. The cards are 30 ml thick which is the same thickness as a standard credit card.

These cards will run through card printers as any 30 mil image grade cards. These cards, however, are not inspected in the same way as our standard grade cards. Almosst all of the cards are perfect graphic quality, but the fallout rate may be little higher than industry standard as the cards are not 100% inspected prior to release. There may be an occasional scratch or flaw on some of the cards found in the package.

Our ID card specialists would be happy to speak with you by phone or live chat about your card project and whether this cardstock would meet your card printing needs. Feel free to contact them at 888-485-4696.

Video – Evolis Featured Video – The Best Printers for Small Business

One of our ID card printer brands, Evolis, has provided a feature video on their website about the success we have had with the Evolis brand printers in small businesses and schools.  They interviewed our company owner, Greg Stephens, to ask him about why this brand has been successful in markets where a smaller number of badges are printed on an annual basis.  

Follow along in this short clip to see the current Evolis printer models, the Evolis Dualys, Evolis Pebble and Evolis Zenius while Greg explains features of this solid printer brand.

Thanks for featuring us in your latest video production, Evolis.

Add Holograms to Your ID Card Program

Concerned about the security of your ID Card Program? Well, by adding a holographic overlay to your  ID Card design you can help protect your program from being infiltrated by counterfeit cards.  This feature helps guard against illicit replication and tampering.

There are three ways to place a holographic image over your card design. The first is with a laminating card printer that applies a holographic overlaminate during the printing process with a special ribbon all in one pass. Printers such as the Fargo DTC4500 or the HDP5000 can feature this functionality.

The second way is with a special holographic ribbon that applies the image during a second pass. You simply change out your ribbon and rerun the cards to achieve the desired effect. This allows users of printers like the Evolis Pebble or Dualys to achieve the same results as a more expensive laminating printer.

Finally. you can purchase a holographic overlay that is applied by hand. Although more expensive on a per card basis, it allows you to add a holographic image to cards when the volume might not dictate the purchase of an entire ribbon or a laminating printer.

Different printer manufactures have generic images on the ribbons but you can also have a custom image designed with your logo or artwork. Contact an expert at Safe-Card ID to learm more about custom holographic ribbons or if a holographic ribbon is availible for your printer.

ID Cameras – Benefits of TWAIN Drivers

HD Image Cam Pro

Wonder what all the fuss is when you speak with our ID experts and they advise you to make sure your camera has a TWAIN driver for the best results in making photo id badges? Without a TWAIN driver, your process of taking photos for your ID cards goes something like this:

1. Have your employee pose for a picture and take it.
2. Save the photo taken to a folder on your computer.
3. Open the picture in a photo editing software.
4. Resave the picture.
5. Open the ID card software and import the selected photo into the photo box from the saved folder.

By using a camera with a workable TWAIN driver, most of the above steps are elminated. The picture can be taken in combination by the computer keyboard and the ID card software. The snapped picture will immediately show up in your software eliminating the steps of creating folders and saving pictures for future use.

Our current popular mid range camera is the HD Image Cam Pro. This camera has a TWAIN driver and has been tested with most popular badge design software on the market. Our ID card experts would love to assist you with more information about this camera solution.

ID Card Printers and Scratch-Off Ribbons

Similar to the scratch-off lottery tickets you can buy at a local convenience store, certain printers, like the Evolis Pebble and Dualys offer a scratch off ribbon that can produce the same effect. These ribbons are great for use with promotional offers or gift card programs. These specialized ribbons print scratch-off material over a pre-printed portion of the card and are typically used to cover a number, special code, or the value of the card.

Scratch-off ribbons produce a gray/silver effect that can be scratched off just like the lottery tickets mentioned above. Once you print your color cards, you need to change the ribbon and make a second pass for each card so the material covers the required area on the already printed card.  Using the printer driver set the ribbon to ‘K’ when you are ready to apply the scratch-off material to the cards.

Not all printers are compatible with scratch-off ribbons. Call an expert at Safe-Card ID Services  to check your specific model before purchasing a scratch-off ribbon.

Professional ID Photos Need a Tripod and Backdrop

Since we create and print ID Cards for a large number of business onsite at Safe-Card ID Services, the Art Department sees all kinds of photos. The honest truth is a perfectly designed card needs an equally great photo, which can be achieved with a backdrop and tripod. By taking photos at a uniform height with a consistent background color, ID cards are harder to counterfeit and helps ensure the cards appear standardized.

Safe-Card ID offers a wide variety of backdrops for your photo ID pictures. Multple colors are availible to choose from and solid colored backdrops help center the focus on the person in the photo. Also, many backdrops are portable, allowing ID card photos to be easily printed off-site.

Tripods minimize blurry photos by stabilizing the camera. Simply attach a camera to the top of the tripod before snapping a picture, guaranteeing all photos are taken at the same height and angle. Our patented HD Image Cam Pro ID Camera comes with a tripod and monitor mount that are also conveniently compact and idea for business travel.

Call an expert at Safe-Card ID Services today to make sure your employees have the great photo they deserve on thier ID Card or Badge.

 

Asure ID 7 Video by HID

HID has released a video illustrating the best features of their Asure ID 7 software. This software allows organizations to design and print custom ID cards that meet the specific organizational requirements. For a quick four minute overview, please view the following video.

If you need specific information about this software and how it may apply to your application, please contact our ID card experts at 888-485-4696. We would be happy to ensure that you select the correct version to provide just the cards you need.

We look forward to hearing from you!