Guide to Identification Card Printers

Making ID cards for your company right on site can save you both time and money. By eliminating the middleman, you can reasonably expect your ID card-making efforts to pay for themselves in a relatively short time.

Owning your own specialized printer for making ID cards also means greater convenience for you. You'll not only be able to schedule your ID card making for the times that are best for you, but you'll be glad to have your cards ready on the spot—without waiting for delivery from outside identification card printing services.

Before you can determine which type of identification card printer will likely meet your company's needs, you'll have to figure out exactly what those needs are. So, before thinking "brand," consider the type of printer you'll need for printing ID cards. This will, of course, depend on the specific kind of cards your company needs. The following are a few examples of card-types your company might want to create:

1. Name badges

2. Single-sided ID cards

3. Dual-sided ID cards

4. Photo ID cards

5. Laminated ID cards

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decide which types of identification card printers would most likely meet your needs

If you must create name badges for a meeting, conference or other business gathering, a badge maker might suit your needs. If you need standard ID cards, either a single- or dual-sided ID card printer should fill the bill, depending on whether you need to include any info on the back of the card or not. If security is an issue, you might want to look at photo ID card printers.

I recommend: The AlphaCard website describes the different types of ID cards and badges you might need for various purposes, as well as the types of ID card printers available. Their explanations can help clear up many of the questions you may have about printing ID cards yourself.

Look for websites that offer a variety of printer types from multiple ID card printer suppliers

Many websites assemble information about different types of identification card printers offered by various vendors. These sites allow you to compare the features of each vendor's products with all the others in the same category, to determine which is most likely to meet the needs of your business.

I recommend: ID Wholesaler and ID Card Group are two websites that provide a fairly large collection of vendor offerings.

Check price comparison websites

Certain websites provide extensive lists of all the available types of identification card printers, including photo ID card printers and discount identification printers. These sites often include links to specifications pages that contain all needed information about the individual products. A visit to one of these sites before making your final decision can help ensure that you have all the information you need to make the best possible decision.

I recommend: OfficeZone offers a comparison of photo ID card printer products and prices, each of which contains a brief description of the printer.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Think ahead when choosing a printer for making ID cards. Are the needs of your business likely to change in the near future, through company growth, for example? Planning ahead for your company's changing needs can help you save money in the long run by enabling you to buy the right ID card printer now, rather than having to upgrade later.

The official source of Identification Card Printers is
the Identification Card Printers page at Business.com