Plastic ID cards can be a great security measure for any business, school or organisation. It means that if you suspect there are any people in the building who shouldn’t be, you can ask them to produce their ID card.
There are plenty of features available for ID cards, including photographs and magnetic stripes. You can have single sided or double sided in cards, in a variety of colours, styles and designs. You can either design the cards yourself, or employ the printing company to come up with a few designs based on your specification. Either way, you will be able to ensure that they look exactly as you want.
Here are some of the features you can have on plastic cards:
• Printed photograph (full colour or black and white)
• Magnetic stripe
• Encoded magnetic stripe
• Signature panel
• Single or double sided printing
• Embossed card numbers
• Chip with electronic information
• Barcode
• Metallic printing
• Embossed and tipped numbers or names
• Thermal personalisation
Depending on your specifications and budget, you can have a combination of these features to make the security very tight. You can also have them as MiFare cards, whereby they will activate or deactivate an access control system, thereby permitting or denying access into your building.
Access control is important to every business. Whether each member of staff as a PIN code for the door unlocking system, or there are proximity tokens attached to ID cards, or if you have a fingerprint and retina scanner to access certain rooms.
Access control can sometimes seem as though it has been taken out of James Bond, but there are some much simpler, more affordable methods of access control that all businesses can take advantage of.
Proximity cards
These can be used as staff ID cards as well as cards that permit access to a building. They activate a lock/unlocking mechanism on your building’s external door/s when held close to the reader. They do not have to be actively swiped or scanned, as they can usually be read within the distance of a foot or two.
HID Cards
These cards can be used to log onto computer systems, to grant access to buildings, files or cupboards or to use in cashless payment situations. They are very flexible and can be personalised to individuals or companies.
MiFare Cards
These cards use very up to date technology and can store lots of information, as well as transfer it ultra fast to a reader. They are contactless smartcards and offer secure transactions as well as having a flexible file structure and organisation.
If you are printing your own staff ID cards or membership cards, there are lots of different varieties of card to choose from. Ranging from plain white PVC cards, through self adhesive cards and metallic signature stripe cards, there are different styles and colours to suit your purpose and available budget.
Below is a brief outline of the different types of card, and how their uses may differ:
Plain White
These are the cheapest and most versatile plastic cards around. They can be printed with full colour or monochrome prints, giving the best flesh tones and colour spectrum available.
Plain white plastic cards come in packs with signature panels, magnetic stripes or plain, as well as offering a biodegradable white plastic card made from PVC Resin.
Coloured Cards
These are usually available in light or dark blue, light or dark green, yellow, orange, red or black, with or without magnetic stripes and signature panels. These are particularly useful as membership cards, as you can have a different colour for each level of membership, e.g. Blue for 6 months, green for 1 year, red for 5 years etc.
Metallic Cards
These work in a similar way to coloured cards, in that they are good for using as premium membership or loyalty cards. Available in silver or gold, they can give the impression of importance and value, and so can be given to your highest members or customers.
If you have a plastic card printer at home or at work, you probably haven’t had to think about which ribbons to buy yet, as they usually come with the printer. When buying replacements, however, unless you go for the same ones you already have, it can be quite difficult choosing between the many different ribbons available.
Choosing ribbons that match the manufacturer or model of your printer is likely to be the best match. That way they will be designed to work together, rather than being a close match where the ribbon could be a little thicker than the printer is designed for, or the printer may only be able to take one certain type of ribbon.
Make sure that you read any instructions that come with your card printers as then you may still be eligible under the warranty if you followed their instruction and something went wrong.
Here are the names of some plastic card printer ribbon suppliers or makes:
• Evolis
• Magicard
• Datacard
• Fargo
• Javelin
• CIM
• Zebra/Eltron
Most card printers will work with a range of ribbons, including monochrome, full colour, metallic or clear overlay ribbons. This is particularly useful if you plan on printing off a run of cards with only one colour, as it will be far more cost effective to use a single colour ribbon.
If you want to be able to control the process of your business’s plastic cards being printed, getting your own plastic card printer is certainly the way forward.
They allow you to design your cards, choose how many you would like to print and actually watch over and perform the whole process yourself. One of the biggest benefits is that you don’t have to do them in bulk to get a good deal.
Buying in bulk makes ordering printed cards more attractive, but you may not need very many cards at all. In fact, you might only need 10 or 12 of one type, and five of another, or one of each of six designs. This can easily be done with plastic card printers. You can still save money by purchasing plain plastic cards in bulk, and then only using them as necessary.
You can print own membership cards, identity cards or loyalty cards; they could be mini greetings cards, voucher cards or message cards. It doesn’t matter the purpose, because you can print them exactly as you want.
Remember, though, to double check the specifications of your chosen printer before buying it. You don’t want to get it home and realise it only prints single sided when you wanted double sided cards!
Access control is a security system. It enables an authorised person to access a facility, computer, building, file, room or item. Access control uses computerised systems to validate whoever it is that wishes to have access granted.
This can be done by means of a key (essentially, a car door is a form of access control,) by a certain code or number (a PIN to gain access to a building, or on an ATM machine), by a card (which will have electronic information stored on it), by biological test (retina scans, fingerprint matches, all that sort of James Bond technology) and passwords (logging into a computer system).
Access control can be of utmost importance if you run a business. Particularly if you deal with clients on a day to day basis, where you may have their financial information or contact details. If your building is accessed by an unlocked, unsecured door, you may be letting your business in for an awful lot more than you imagined. If there is no control on the door, anybody could walk in with the intention of subtly stealing vital client information.
Especially if your business in constantly growing, it can be very difficult to spot someone if they are wearing the same as everyone else and walking around with a purpose.
Just a simple PIN machine on any external door will significantly reduce the risk of information or identity theft.
Loyalty cards are everywhere these days. In bars, hairdressers, supermarkets, clothes shops, petrol stations, leisure centres and jewellers. Their purpose is to highlight a customer’s loyalty to that company and by offering a reward for that loyalty. The reward may only be small, but it is something that wouldn’t have been given out otherwise.
They are similar to membership cards, but they do not provide any kind of binding or agreement between holder and business. Membership cards are there to show that a person has signed up for or joined an organisation, programme, business or group, and has been accepted as such. Membership cards often provide a discount for that person, or allow them special privileges, such as a free biscuit with every cup of tea bought, or a special item from the shop exclusive to members.
Loyalty cards are relatively inexpensive, as they are usually made out of cardboard, though they can be made of plastic cards, which are far sturdier, and less easily forgotten or left somewhere by mistake. They give your customer an incentive to come back to your business, rather than go to a competitor, as they have the possibility of a reward for doing so.
If you’ve taken the step to produce your own ID cards, it’s highly likely that you’ll now be looking around for the perfect equipment. One of the most important things that you need to think about when producing your own ID card cards is the printer that you opt for.
Just a quick look on the internet will confirm that there are several different models of ID card printers on the market today, so you may be a little confused as to what printer to choose.
When it comes to choosing the perfect printer, you need to bear a few things in mind.
Single or dual sized
ID card printers have the ability to print on just one or both sides of a card, so think about what you want from cards before coming to a decision.
Colour or black and white
If you’re going to be printed photos onto your ID cards, it may be best to opt for a colour printer, as this will ensure enhanced security. More basic cards may be fine in black and white.
Quantity
Think about the volume of cards that you will be printing, as different printers are designed for different levels of usage.
Put a little thought into your card printer and choose a model that will serve you well in the long run.
If you run a business, and membership cards are vital in providing security, you need to take steps to ensure that they stay safe at all times.
Constantly having to replace membership cards that have been lost or stolen can be an added expensive that no business needs, which is why it’s far better to invest in items that will keep your cards safe and secure in the first instance.
Many membership cards need to be kept on display and close to hand at all times, which can make them more vulnerable to loss. However, by investing in secure lanyards and card holders, this issue can be eliminated.
You needn’t worry about the style of lanyards clashing with your membership cards, as they are now available in a range of colours and styles. In fact you can even opt for beaded lanyards, which look great with just about any card.
Card holders are available in PVC holders- which house the whole card, or rigid holders- which leave the front of the card exposed. The type that you choose really is down to personal preference, so take a look at both before making a decision.
Keeping your membership cards safe doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task, and can be achieved with the right products.
