A few simple answered questions will provide the correct card for your requirements.

Will I need to print on both sides of the card?

Most PVC cards on the market are finished on both sides of the card, allowing for printing on the front and the back. There are some cards that are only finished on the front side and printing will not adhere to the back side.

What size card is needed?

Standard size PVC cards are called CR-80. These are the same size and thickness of a VISA or MasterCard. Other cards that are larger are CR-90 and CR-100. They are for more specialized applications. Specialized printers are needed to accommodate these larger size PVC cards.

When considering id card requirements and whether to purchase a single side or dual sided printer, one needs to know what the card requirements are. A list of required items on the card may include: member picture, member name, bar code, title, license code, etc. When reviewing these things deciding where they should be placed on the badge, the determination of which printer is needed is often obvious.

Single sided id card printers are among the most cost effective printers to operate. They meet the majority of the industries need for identification. They allow photos for face recognition, data fields for names and titles, logos and additional personal or corporate information. Depending on the software capabilities, it is possible to place a bar code on the front of the badge.

An important feature of the dual sided printer is that the information on the back of each identification card can be different from any other card. The system will automatically place the corresponding information on the back of the card with the correct card front. The dual sided printer has a built in flipper to turn the card over to print the back side. Because the printer prints one full card at a time, a possibility of information mix up will not occur.

Another feature of the dual sided printer is the possibility of placing a greater amount of information on each card. By utilizing the front and back of the card, double printing area is available to maximize information on the id card.