ID Card Printers

What is the best ID card printer for making ID Cards?

When it comes to ID Card printers the are many brands and models to choose from, withnot all ID card printers made for everyone. Our Best Printers of 2024 guide breaks down all our ID Card Printer Brands and ID Printers depending on Budget ID Printers, High Security ID Printers, Volume, and Accreditation ID Printers.

Which are the best ID Card Printer brands?

We sell a wide range of ID card Printer brands at cards-x and each manufacturer has their own unique selling points and area of expertise.

However, if you’re looking for a reliable, ‘workhorse’ ID card printer we recommend Matica ID Printers. Built on a solid metal chassis, the Matica ID Card printers are reliable, secure, deliver a quality print finish and come with a wide range of features as standard. These features aren’t lost on their entry-level ID Card Printer (MC110 and MC210). This means they aren’t always the cheapest ID card printer on the market, but you get what you pay for!

If you are looking for an ID Card Printer Brand with the latest smart technology, cloud connectivity and unique print quality options, we recommend Entrust ID Card Printers. The Entrust Artista CR805 Retransfer ID Card Printer delivers photo-quality imagery due to its unique pigment ink that prints lifelike skin tones. Furthermore, the Entrust Sigma Series ID Card Printers offer the choice between on-premise or cloud-hosted deployment. This allows the user to benefit from the flexibility to print anytime, anywhere with a mobile device.

Here are some key factors to consider when choosing the right ID card printer for your business.

Over-the-edge or edge-to-edge printing technology.

Over-the-edge ID card printing, also known as bleed printing or high definition printing. This two-step print process allows for the entire card design to be printed over the edge of your identification cards design, creating a professional and visually appealing finish without any white borders around the edge of the ID card. This method is particularly popular for organisations that require high-quality, durable ID cards with vibrant colours and intricate graphics. The edge-to-edge ID card printing process produces high-quality identification cards, but leaves a small white border due to the print process technology. Card printer technology has advanced so much these days that it’s challenging to notice this white line on most new ID card printers. This method is particularly popular for creating professional and visually appealing cards, such as employee badges, membership IDs, and access cards.

To understand the differences between both over-the-edge and edge-to-edge ID card printing, please find our blog here understanding the differences edge-to-edge vs over-to-edge printing.

Do I need a single-sided or dual-sided ID card printer?

Choosing between single-sided and dual-sided card printers depends on your specific needs and budget. Single-sided printers are cost-effective and efficient for basic identification purposes, while dual-sided printers offer greater versatility and capacity for more detailed card designs. Consider the information you need to convey and the context in which the cards will be used to make the best choice for your situation.

Single-Sided Card Printers

Single-sided ID card printers are designed to print on only the front side of an ID card, leaving the reverse side blank, unless you have pre-printed the reverse. These ID card printers are generally more affordable and straightforward to operate, making them a popular choice for environments where basic card information is sufficient.

Dual-Sided Card Printers

Dual-sided ID card printers are engineered to print on both sides of an ID card. This capability allows for a more comprehensive display of information, maximising the use of space on the card and allowing you to print either variable or static information on the reverse of the card.

ID Card Printer Price

It’s essential to understand that the printer's features will add cost to your initial investment, so it’s critical to clarify which features will benefit your ID cards. For example, if you are connecting via USB, it’s pointless buying an ID card printer with an Ethernet port, and if you are only printing one side of your ID card, there is no point having a dual-sided ID card printer. Ensuring you're also using the right ribbon for your ID cards will save you ongoing costs, especially if you print thousands of ID cards a year.

ID Card Printer Support

Before purchasing a brand new ID card printer, it’s important to check the warranty available. Some brands only offer a 1 year warranty, whereas some offer a 3 year warranty, like the Matica MC110, which comes with a 3 year warranty and hot swap support contract.

ID Card Design Software

Choosing the right ID card design software is essential to ensure a smooth customer experience. Most ID card printers work using the same print technology, but the ID card software package you choose can significantly impact that experience. You need to decide whether you want to print single ID cards, connect to an external database and/or encode to any smart card technologies, as each software package will offer a slightly different experience. We recommend CardPresso for simple ID card designs and hassle-free support process, whereas if you have any more complex software requirements, CardExchange is the best company. If you have a requirement for Cloud-based card management software, we have a great solution available from Entrust.

Top 3 ID Card Printer Features.

When buying an ID card printer, it’s important to think about the features required, and we recommend considering these simple top three features

Print Volume: How many ID cards do you intend on printing a year? Some small schools will print only 100 cards, whereas larger universities will print up to 20,000. Choosing the right ID card printer at this stage is critical for the user’s experience and printer lifespan. High print capacity card holders, we would recommend the Matica MC210 & Entrust Sigma DS2.

Print Speed: Some card printers offer much faster print speeds than other brands, and it’s essential to understand if this is a critical feature for you or not. Print speed can vary from 20 seconds per card to over 60 seconds, so it’s an important consideration before investing into a brand new ID card printer. The Matica MC210 & Entrust Sigma DS2 are two printers that we would recommend for print speed and print quality.

Print Security: Do you need additional security features for your ID cards? If the answer is yes, then you can consider ID card printers like the Matica MC660, which comes with built-in security features within the consumable, or if you need high-level security elements adding, like holograms or microtext, then it’s worth considering adding a laminator to your ID card printer set-up. Click here to read our short blog about the security ribbon.

MAC compatible ID card printers.

You need to be aware that not all brands have both a Windows and MAC driver available, so if you want to produce your staff ID cards on a MAC you need to ensure that the printer is compatible with that platform. We have compiled a list of all ID card printers that are MAC OS compatible. The Zebra ZC100 is the perfect entry-level MAC compatible ID card printer, while the Matica MC210 would be the best mid-level ID card printer ready to use on a MAC platform. Click here to view all those products.

Encoding & Connectivity Options

If you need to encode any smart or proximity cards such as Mifare, Paxton, or HID, and/or have to write to a magnetic strip, then you need also to consider buying the encoding module with that card printer to enable the seamless process of printing and encoding at the click of a button. These modules are not included and are fitted retrospectively to most ID card printers. Crucial also is making sure that you buy an ID card printer, which comes with either USB for direct printing from a computer, or Ethernet connectivity, should you wish to print from many different devices

Still unsure? Have a read of our Top 20 ID Card Printers 2024 to help guide you to the best printer for your requirement, or call us on 0333 011 9992 or email us info@cards-x.co.uk and we'll happily talk you through the best solution for your needs and budget.

Watch our short video on how an ID card printer can improve security onsite.

Why choose Cards-X?

Cards-X (UK) are proud to be the exclusive Value-Added Distributor for Matica products and an Entrust Datacard Gold Solution Provider. This means that we can provide permanent stock, logistic services and technical support to our valued network of resellers across the UK and Ireland.

Here’s a few more reasons why our customers and partners choose us:

• We are Official UK ID Card Printer Distributors fr Matica , Entrust, Javelin & Zebra
• Our low price promise means we can’t be beaten on price.
• Free Next Day Delivery for all orders over £250
• The experienced cards-X team are on hand to provide expert printer advice.
  
• Two large UK warehouse guarantees a swift fulfilment of thousands of products.
  
• Free Technical Support & Addtional Support Packages 

Please contact our friendly team or find out more about our products or simply pop in for a cup of Yorkshire Tea and a chat.