ID card is the most common thing for people who are connected with an institution. Whether you are an employee or a student, you need the best id card printer to use an ID card daily. Formal ID cards are not only used for showing one’s identity but also for security purposes.
Institutes may need id card printer machines for their students or employees to print cards in a short period of time. In this case, printing them from a printing press could not be the best option because of bulk printing requirements, booking appointments, and availability. This is why id maker machines are the best option to choose.
The best id card printing machine will provide you with smooth and professional quality printing, saving time, and the best part is you can customize your printings as you want. But here comes the question, which id printer is best for your use?
- Easy to Use Printer
- Card Thickness: 20-40 mil
- 300 PVC CARDS
- Two Years Warranty
This article has summed up the seven best ID card printer buying guides to help you choose the one according to your need.
Our Favourite Best Id Card Printer buying guide
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Description Table
| Product | Description |
| Magicard Pronto ID Card Printer | ● Input/Output Hopper: In:1 / Out:1 ● Printer Speed: 7 Seconds(B&W) 35 Seconds(Colour) ● 16.25 x 13.25 x 10.5 inches ● Weight 9 pounds |
| Badgy100 | ● Dimension: 15.3 x 12.3 x 11.4 inches ● Weight 8.73 pounds ● Print a color card in 38 seconds ● Camera for ID Card Photos ● PC & Mac integrated software |
| Fargo DTC1250e | ● Dimension: 16.3 x 14 x 11.5 inches ● The printer weighs 7.5 pounds ● Fully customizable ID cards ● Print speed: 6 seconds(Monochrome) and 16 seconds full color |
| Fargo DTC4500e | ● Print quality 300 DPI ● Connections: USB and Ethernet ● Item Weight: 1 pound |
| Magicard Enduro 3e | ● Dimension: 17.99 x 7.99 x 9.02 inches ● Weight: 12 pounds ● 300dpi output ● Card thickness: 20-40 mil |
| Zebra ZC100 LT | ● 300 dpi dye-sublimation printing ● 200-print color (YMCKO) Ribbon ● Dimension: 22 x 12 x 8 inches ● Weight: 14 pounds |
| Evolis Primacy Dual-Sided ID Card Printer | ● Product dimension: 8 x 15 x 10 inches ● The printer weighs 15.92 pounds ● Highly intuitive software ● 100 PVC cards |
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7 Best Photo Id Card Printer- Buying Guide
- Best Overall: Magicard Pronto ID Card Printer
- Best PVC Card Printer: Badgy100 Color Plastic ID Card Printer
- Best Business Card Printer: Fargo Dual Sided ID Card Printer
- Best Printer for Card Making: Magicard Enduro Dual Sided ID Card Printer
- Best Budget Printer: Fargo Single Sided ID Card Printer
- Best Cheap Printer: Zebra ZC100 LT ID Card Printer
- Best Badge Machine: Evolis Primacy Dual Sided ID Card Printer
1. Magicard Pronto ID Card Printer
| Printing Technology | Dye Sublimation |
| Scanner Type | Photo |
| Card Thickness | 20-40 mil |
| Input/Output Hopper | In:1 / Out:1 |
| Product Dimensions | 16.25 x 13.25 x 10.5 inches |
Accurate and effective, the Specialized Magicard Pronto ID Card Printer from Bodno Store makes perfect id cards more than any other printer in the market with its ease of use technology.
Its MA100YMCKO color ribbon, user-friendly features, pre-made templates, images, and other card-making designs help you make your id card print professionally in minutes.
The Magicard Pronto id Card Printer thoroughly impressed us with its best features and addons. That’s why we think this is the best ID card printer machine on the market. Here are some more detailed instructions below.
Features:
Colour: Magicard Pronto is a color printer that can print full-color photo IDs and Black and white ID cards. However, color printings take a longer time than regular black and white printing. Colour printing takes around 35 seconds on each side, whereas black and white printing takes less than 7 seconds.
PVC Cards: High-quality PVC cards last long and are great for printing quality. Magicard Pronto PVC Card printer comes with a bundle of 300 Bodno PVC cards. Bodno PVC cards are white, durable, and of high quality.
Security: Watermark is a security feature needed to protect from unauthorized copying of the design. This printer comes with a watermark security feature. It offers four different pre-designed Holokote watermark designs. This feature is handy if your organization wants to maintain the security of the ID card’s design.
What We Like
- Quality plastic card printer
- Holokote Security features
- Free 300 cards and print ribbons
What We Don’t Like
- Single card feeder
The Bottom Line
With the Magicard Pronto, you can print your own professional grade photo ID cards, membership cards and more in minutes. The printer is designed to run fast and efficient. Prints from this product are of good quality without being very expensive.
2. Badgy 100
| Printing Technology | Dye Sublimation |
| Scanner Type | Photo |
| Card Thickness | 20-30 mil |
| Input/Output Hopper | In: 25 / Out: 25 |
| Product Dimensions | 15.3 x 12.3 x 11.4 inches |
If you’re looking for professional-grade photo ID cards or membership cards for your own company, then I would direct you to the Badgy100 Color Plastic ID Card Printer.
Badgy100 is easy to use and user-friendly plastic card printer that can print the best PVC cards, plastic cards & badges quickly. It neither requires much space nor expertise to use this printer. One thing to note is that you’re not going to get a surprisingly high-end print for a printer of this cost but it gives you a clear print.
We see no reason why this id maker machine should not become a standard plastic card printer for small offices and companies. Also, another reason to choose this is that it’s a cheap id card printer that prints quality color id cards.
Features:
Input/Output Hopper: A small-sized printer has a moderate Input and Output hopper. It can hold 25 cards to be printed and also can store 25 cards after printing. That’s the accurate and standard holder size for a printer. If you are printing remotely or with programmed instructions, any difference between input and output hoppers may overflow later.
Small Size: Badgy100 is a small built-for-home-use kind of design. It is easier to handle and maintain this printer. That makes it one of the best card printers for students. The printing speed of this printer is relatively moderate.
Easy to use Bodno Software: Badgy100 comes with built-in bodno software. Bodno software offers five plans. They are bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and diamond. Features will vary among the packages.
The bronze package offers a drag-drop interface, image browsing, and embedded photo editor, the silver package provides QR codes, imports XLS, CSV, and TXT files, and comes with password protection; the gold package has auto face detection, query records, and 2D barcodes, the platinum package offers UV panel management, auto printing by DB and fingerprint acquisition, the diamond package extends the feature at its best by providing 16PCs net license and web print server.
What We Like
- Portable size plastic card printer
- Compatible with mac & PC
- Easy to use software
- Affordable id badge printer
What We Don’t Like
- No Wi-Fi, No Ethernet
The Bottom Line
Badgy100 is the perfect solution if you are looking for a fast, easy and cost effective way to issue ID cards at home or in your business office. With Badgy100 you can create an unlimited amount of cards with an ID card printer at an affordable price.
3. Fargo DTC4500e
| Printing Technology | Dye Sublimation, Thermal |
| Resolution | 300 x 300 DPI |
| Connectivity Technology | USB, Ethernet |
| Print Speed | Color: 4, Monochrome: 10 |
| Product Dimensions | 15.5 x 11.75 x 21.5 inches |
Fargo DTC4500e is the best PVC card printer machine suitable for medium to large organizations that make it a high-quality, Heavy-duty ID card printer. This dual sided id card printer works well for the price and delivers a consistent output. It uses extremely robust printing technology that helps to print fast.
Features:
Flexibility & Security: Fargo comes with an iCLASS SE® encoder, wholly integrated with the printer, allowing one to encode your personal documents, protecting your privacy.
You can design the ID cards locally using the provided software and program the printer using any physical access control system.
Versatility: It has a modular design that can be further attached to several modules. The linked modules can expand the features of the printer. Modules such as lamination, double-sided printing, or technology card encoding help organizations choose one according to their need, saving the cost.
Eco Friendly: Fargo is a GreenCircle® Certified printer. That means it has an efficient consumption of energy. The refill ribbon used in the printer is also eco-friendly.
What We Like
- Dual side direct printing
- Less weight
- Modular
What We Don’t Like
- No such expert online support
The Bottom Line
Fargo’s Dual Side ID Card Printer is a high-speed. The printheads are easy to swap to change sides without having to reload the ribbon or clear jams. The front access panels and ribbons allow for easy maintenance. This affordable card printer can handle most ID Card stock, including PVC cards and thick paper cards.
4. Magicard Enduro 3e
| Printing Technology | Dye Sublimation, Thermal |
| Resolution | 300 DPI |
| Card thickness | 20-40 mil |
| Print Speed | 10 Monochrome |
| Product Dimensions | 17.99 x 7.99 x 9.02 inches |
If you are the type of person who cares about aesthetics, this is the double sided photo card printer. But don’t think good looks mean its feature won’t be useful; instead, it is a very secure and reliable machine.
Features:
Printing performance: Magicard Enduro id maker machine uses Dye sublimation and Thermal rewritable technology, ensuring the best printing quality. The printing quality is 300 dpi. The feeding system supports manual and hopper fed, which provides fast printing, especially dual side printing.
Security and Encoding options: Magicard offers various encoding options such as Contact chip,iClass®, DESFire®, and MIFARE®. Besides this, it provides different magnetic stripe features, such as ISO 7811 – tracks 1, 2, and 3. Sometimes, visual security is also essential, so it has four standard HoloKote designs and a HoloPatch feature that puts high visibility goldenseal.
Magicard Enduro has a fast printing engine that allows you to print more than 100 cards per hour for color. The monochrome printer is even faster. Monochrome one-sided printing can be done within 7 seconds. It also offers 100 card input which has a 30 card holder attached with it.
What We Like
- Dye-sublimation printing technology
- Dual-sided printer
- Card Imaging XXS Card Design Software
What We Don’t Like
- Not modular
The Bottom Line
The Magicard Enduro Complete Photo ID Card System gives you a complete photo ID card solution. You’ll have everything you need to start printing ID cards in minutes, allowing you to easily create and print professional cards that comply with various card design standards.
5. Fargo DTC1250e
| Printing Technology | Dye Sublimation, Thermal |
| Card thickness | 9-40 mil |
| Print Speed (Sec) | 6 black, 16 color |
| Input/Output Hopper | In: 100 / Out: 30 |
| Product Dimensions | 16.3 x 14 x 11.5 inches |
Fargo confirms the best quality of printing using Dye sublimation and Thermal printing technology. Fargo photo id card printer strictly maintains quality assurance before delivering the print.
Features:
Input/Output Hopper: While you are doing much printing, input and output hopper should be considered. Fargo identification card printer offers 100 inputs and 30 outputs hopper, which is very handy and lessens your work while printing many items at once.
Printing speed: Fargo comes with sophisticated printing technology, which results in its fast printing speed. Monochrome printing takes around 6 seconds; on the contrary, full-color printing requires 16 seconds. Both of which are considered very fast in the area of ID card printing.
Various card thickness: If a printer allows several card thicknesses, it will be cost-effective because you do not have to stick to one specific print media size. Fargo DTC1250e can easily print on anything that’s thickness range is 9-40 mil. A variety of sizes does not harm the printing quality at all.
What We Like
- Fast printing
- It comes with an ID camera
- Expert online customer support
What We Don’t Like
- Single-sided printing
The Bottom Line
The Fargo Single Sided ID Card Printer is a great choice for printing ID cards, membership cards, or school and library cards in an easy and affordable way. With the ability to print both sides, it’s great for organizations with large volumes of cards that need to be printed at one time.
6. Zebra ZC100 LT
| Printing Technology | Dye Sublimation |
| Connectivity Technology | USB |
| Resolution | 300 DPI |
| Print Speed (Sec) | 12 PPM Monochrome |
| Product Dimensions | 18 x 10 x 10 inches |
Zebra ZC100 LT is packed with features which is a lot for such a compact printer. You do not need to worry about where to place the printer.
Features:
Multiple connectivities: Zebra ZC100 LT comes with standard high-speed Ethernet and USB ports, ensuring data transfer at high speed. It has an internal print server that allows you to install your Local Area Network printer (LAN). Remote access printing gives users the freedom to print on the go. Enabling connecting with Wi-Fi will allow the users to connect to the printer with their mobile phone.
Compact size: Thus is one of the most compact printers out there. But its printing technology is very advanced, and the dye-sublimation technology ensures realistic and high-quality printings. This technology provides natural colors, and thermal transfer sharpens the black-colored text, which is very useful for bar codes or QR codes.
CloudBadging Software: Zebra ZC100 LT provides you with their CloudBadging Software, which offers more than the conventional ID card management software. It provides several options like Drag-and-drop, extensive photo support, advanced cloning tool, comprehensive photo support, Clustered user management system, all with easy-to-use UI design.
What We Like
- Firm design
- cloud-based collaborative software
- Occupies less space
What We Don’t Like
- Not the best printer for bulk printing
The Bottom Line
The Zebra ID Card Printer allows you to print your own high-quality photo ID cards or membership cards quickly and easily from your PC. This compact, reliable card printer is lightweight and easy to carry, so you can take it wherever you go.
7. Evolis Primacy Dual-Sided ID Card Printer
| Connectivity Technology | USB |
| Print Speed | 4.5 |
| Print media | Cardstock |
| Product Dimensions | 8 x 15 x 10 inches |
If you are looking for a double-sided ID card printer machine of high quality, then Evolis importance is the best option for you. This printer provides color printing with the feature to print on both sides of the card simultaneously.
Features:
Software: Printing and designing become so easy if you have featureful designing software. Evolis primacy comes with “Card Imaging design software.” The software allows you to add your preferable background and logo.
If you need a bar code to use on the ID card, there are 20 bar code options. Photos can be attached from a file or taken from a camera. If making a design from scratch is hard for you, there are 50 pre-designed templates to start with.
Print speed: Printing speed is one of the significant features you should look for while buying a printer. Evolis primacy can print a single side in 20 seconds without harming the print quality.
Free tech support & warranty: Not all printers come with free tech support, but Evolis does. The tech support helps you set up the printer, instructions about using the software, or any other printer issue. All of these are free of cost. Besides, they will provide three years manufacturer warranty.
What We Like
- Easy to operate
- Colour printing
- Best value for money
What We Don’t Like
- Printing time is slow
The Bottom Line
With the Evolis Primacy dual-sided multifunctional ID card printer, you can print and encode your cards right on site, making it easy to personalize and issue cards wherever you need them. The Evolis Primacy offers a wide range of printing options and personalization options, so you can create the perfect card for your needs.
Best Id Card Printer- Buying Guide
Before you decide to buy an id card machine, you should research the ID card printer. Which card printing machine should one purchase, which features go along with your needs, what features you should look for while buying, and which printer fits your budget? Otherwise, you may end up buying something that does not meet your requirements.
This is why a buying guide is required for you to make a proper decision for purchasing and give you some in-depth knowledge about products you need to buy
Speed of the Printer
Printing speed is one of the first things that you should consider while buying a printer. If you are using your ID card printer for bulk printing, you should buy a faster speed. Otherwise, for regular use, an average-speed printer is okay for you.
Printing Quality
Dot Per Inch(DPI) is the matric to measure the printing quality of a printer. ID card information is very delicate, and high-quality printing is essential in this case. Adding more colors to the ID card design may make it more visually attractive, and also, using patterns of different colors will make the ID card more secure.
Size of the Printer
If you buy a printer that can not fit properly in your workspace, then it’s wrong to buy this printer. Again there is a misconception that a small printer means it has fewer features, but it’s totally wrong. Always look into the features while buying a printer. Many suitable printers are compact in size but a performance beast. So buy the one you can allocate in your workspace.
What Comes with the Package?
Usually, ID card printers come with a package of refills, PVC cards, cameras, software subscription, warranty, etc. It is essential to look at the packages and buy the one that offers the best package at an affordable price.
How to use an id card printing machine?
It is fantastic that you bought an ID card printer. Now It’s not that hard to learn how to use this printer. Just remember ID card printer is like other printers.
Installation Procedure
All the operations are similar to regular printers. Installation is straightforward, like an inkjet or laser printer. Install the software provided by the company you are buying from, and you are good to go.
Maintenance
Maintaining your printer is also important. The print head is one of the most common parts of a printer that is too expensive to replace at the same time. It is the most common one people damages accidentally. So never use a pre-punch card to open the print head, and while changing ribbons, don’t hit the print head with any plastic part.
If you are not careful with any of these two, you may have to regret it. ID card printer uses ribbons unline laser or inkjet printer. One little tip is, please do not reopen the cover after installing, and thermal printer ribbons are fragile.
You can use scotch tape to the very end of the ribbon to the right side, turn the roll for a few circles and close the cover. The printer will synchronize the ribbon, and it is okay now to print your ID cards.
How Do You Print on PVC Plastic?
It is not preferable to use a laser printer to print on PVC. Laser printer products heat that might melt your PVC. So you need to find the one which can print appropriately on a PVC.
Using an inkjet printer
The second best option is to use an inkjet printer to print on PVC plastic. The problems with the inkjet printer are ink won’t dry properly. So, allow at least 10-12 minutes before using the PVC so that the ink can dry; otherwise, you will find smudges even after the ink is dry. It can be avoided by laminating it when the ink is dry, or the other way is to spray the sheet with a transparent fixative.
Using an ID card printer
The best of all the other options is using an ID card printer. ID card printer uses thermal or dye-sublimation technology, which is the best printer to print on PVC. Dye-sublimation technology uses heat to transfer ink onto materials such as plastic. So this type of printer is means to print on plastics such as PVC plastics. So use one of these to print on PVC plastic.
FAQ
Can regular printers print on the card?
Not really; printing on the card means printing on the plastic. Laser printers are the worst to print on plastics. Inkjets also have some issues. The best one to print on a card is thermal or dye-sublimation printers.
What is the width and height of an ID card?
There are not many differences in the size of ID cards. The most common and standard size of an ID card is 3.375″ x 2.125″, where 3.375 is the width, and 2.125 is the height.
Which printer will take a 300gsm card?
GSM stands for Grams per Square Meter. It actually refers to the thickness of a card. Most ID cards have this thickness, so it’s easier for most ID card printers to print a 300gsm card.
Can I print on plastic sheets?
Yes, you can. With a proper printer such as a thermal or dye-sublimation printer, you can easily print on plastic. If you use an inkjet printer, you have to be extra cautious.
Conclusion:
It would be best to do some research before buying basically anything that also goes for ID printers. Each brand will offer something different. This article will give you basic knowledge of quality and cheap ID card printers, their significance, and what to look for while buying an ID card printer.
An ID card printer is a simple one, but choosing the right one will give you many financial and time-saving advantages. After purchasing, it is essential to take proper care while maintaining the ribbons and cleaning them so that the fragile and sensitive parts are not damaged. Happy shopping!!
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