Today’s ID badges are far more versatile than your laminated photo IDs from decades past. Most modern identification cards now feature barcodes, mag stripes, RFID chips, and smart card technologies for superior security and greater utility across many different applications, which makes investing in an ID card printer for the security of your employees and facility a smart and important decision.
So how do you protect your investment and maximize it to its full potential? Here are five easy ways of increasing the efficiency of your ID card printer:
- Buy the right ribbon for your ID card designs
- Take advantage of preprinted cards
- Schedule routine printer cleaning and maintenance
- Ensure that printer driver settings are set correctly
- Minimize printer downtime by maintaining sufficient printer supplies
Buy the right ribbon for your ID card designs – Did you know that there are different ribbons available for your card printer, and the type that you need depends on the card design and features that you plan to have? Buying the correct ribbon for your card designs ensures that your ID card printer prints your ID cards according to specifications, while saving you big bucks in the long run.
Take advantage of preprinted cards – If you are printing ID cards with minimal variable data with the rest of the card mostly having the same text and artwork, why not reduce the workload of your card printer by using preprinted cards? Custom preprinted cards can include your company’s name, contact information, and logo, as well as the card’s general artwork. And because most elements of the ID card are already preprinted, the printing and issuance process is much more efficient, resulting in cheaper cost per card and faster overall production.
Schedule routine printer cleaning and maintenance – Plastic card printer manufacturers recommend that you clean your ID printer every time you change your ribbon. This is to ensure that your printhead remains free from dust, oil, or dirt that could damage it. When ordering cleaning kits, be sure to select the one that is specified for your printer model and brand for best results.
Ensure that printer driver settings are set correctly – The heat setting for your printer driver is user adjustable. However, an incorrectly set printer driver setting can cause your printhead to overheat, which may result in your ribbon warping or breaking. To avoid costly problems, be sure to keep your setting adjustments within the range that is recommended in the user manual.
Minimize printer downtime by maintaining sufficient printer supplies – Your plastic ID card printer has consumable supplies. With thorough planning and meticulous monitoring, it is easy to estimate when your supplies will run out. To ensure that your card-printing program operates uninterrupted, order printer supplies at regular intervals. Alternatively, you can get in touch with your printer vendor to schedule automatic replenishment of printer supplies.
The foregoing are just some of the ways you can take to get the most out of your ID printer investment. For more printer maintenance tips, speak with our factory-certified printer specialists today.
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