Direct-to-Card vs Retransfer Printers

The two technologies behind every plastic card printer, compared on real cards, along with the problems you run into when you ask a direct-to-card printer to do a retransfer job.

Two ways to put an image on plastic

A direct-to-card (DTC) printer heats color from a ribbon straight onto the surface of a white card. A retransfer printer, also called a high-definition printer, first prints the image onto a clear transfer film and then lays that film onto the card in one pass. The extra step makes retransfer more flexible and gives it richer color.

Direct-to-card works well for fairly simple ID cards and gift cards: plenty of white space, photos and text, without large blocks of solid color. Retransfer handles what direct-to-card cannot: solid and dark colors that run all the way to the edge, cards with embedded chips, and ultraviolet ink.

The video also shows what happens when you push a direct-to-card printer too far. A large solid area overheats the print head and the color ribbon wrinkles, leaving streaks across the card. Direct-to-card printers always leave a thin white border, and they have trouble printing cleanly near a chip.

The short version

• Choose direct-to-card for straightforward badges with mostly white backgrounds.
• Choose retransfer for full-bleed solid colors, dark backgrounds, chip cards or UV ink.
• Heavy solid color on a direct-to-card printer can wrinkle the ribbon.
• No direct-to-card printer prints all the way to the edge of the card.