Resource Center
Guides, answers, and know-how.
Straight talk on choosing printers, matching ribbons, and running a card program, from people who do it every day.
Buying & printing guides
All 10 guides →Buying Guide
Access Credentials and Encoding, Explained
Facility codes, card formats, prox versus smart credentials, and magnetic stripe coercivity, explained plainly by an authorized HID dealer.
Read guide →Buying Guide
How to Choose an ID Card Printer
Volume, direct-to-card versus retransfer, encoding, hoppers and true cost per card. The order we actually work through when specifying a printer.
Read guide →Printing Guide
Edge-to-Edge vs Over-the-Edge Printing
The two phrases are not the same thing. What the difference means for your card design, and the third option that saves buying a retransfer printer.
Read guide →Printing Guide
Direct-to-Card vs Retransfer Printing
How the two printing methods differ in edge coverage, durability, speed and cost per card, and which one your card design actually needs.
Read guide →Supplies Guide
Which Ribbon Fits My Printer?
A compatibility chart for every Fargo, Evolis and Magicard printer we supply, with the manufacturer's own yield per ribbon, plus what YMCKO means.
Read guide →Buying Guide
Single-Sided vs Dual-Sided ID Cards
What goes on the back of a card, what the second side really costs in ribbon, and whether to buy dual-sided now or upgrade later.
Read guide →Support Guide
ID Card Printer Troubleshooting: Common Problems & Fixes
The card printer faults we actually get called about, in the order they happen: print quality, jams, ribbon errors, drivers, encoding, and when to stop and call a technician.
Read guide →Access Guide
Prox Cards Explained: Formats, Facility Codes, and Ordering
What a proximity card is, the three numbers that have to be right before one works, 26-bit versus 37-bit formats, and what we need to program yours.
Read guide →Access Guide
What Is a Smart Card?
What the chip in a smart card actually does, how contact and contactless differ, and why 13.56 MHz on its own does not make a credential secure.
Read guide →Buying Guide
ID Card Sizes and Thickness: CR-80, 30 Mil, Explained
CR-80 dimensions, what a mil is and why 30 mil is standard, PVC versus composite, and which combinations fit the printers and badge holders you already own.
Read guide →From the blog
All posts →How Much Does an ID Card Printer Cost?
The price bands, and the running cost most buyers forget until it is too late. Why the cheaper printer is often the expensive one.
Read post →What Does It Cost to Print an ID Card?
Cost per card, worked through properly: ribbon yield, card stock, and the monochrome lever most organizations never pull.
Read post →Is My ID Card Printer Worth Repairing?
Which faults are routine wear, which need a real calculation, and the four situations where we tell people not to bother.
Read post →Need an ID Card Printed Today?
The realistic options when somebody needs a badge today, including the reserve stock that turns a multi-day problem into a two-minute one.
Read post →5 Signs It's Time to Replace Your ID Card Printer
Persistent fading, daily jams, dead-end drivers and vanishing consumables. The signals worth acting on, and the one that is not a signal at all.
Read post →Prox vs Smart Cards: What's the Difference?
Both open doors and look identical. What actually separates them on security, cost and capability, and how to tell which your readers use.
Read post →Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers on ordering, compatibility, printers, and cards.
ID Card Glossary
Every ribbon, card, encoding, and printing term, explained.
Video Library
Reviews, setup walkthroughs, and plain-English explainers.
From the Blog
Tips, product news, and notes from the service bench.
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