Card Printer Qualifying Questions

1. How many cards are to be printed over a 12 month period? (just a rough estimate is fine)

   Determining the number of cards to be printed will enable you to select the appropriate Card Printer for your customers needs:

   • < 1000 per year = Entry Level Card Printer
   • < 3000 per year = Mid-Range Card Printer
   • < 5000 per year = High End Card Printer or multiple Entry Level or Mid-Range Card Printers

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2. Printing in colour or black

   Will further assist with determining the type of Card Printer required and also whether the introduction of a Pre-Printed Card option will be required.

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3. Type of card i.e. Photo ID Card, Membership, Loyalty etc.

   In addition to point 2

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4. How long do you require the card to last for

   Will determine whether a PVC or PVC/PET combined card stock is suggested, also whether the addition of a protective coating, i.e. lamination, is required

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5. Will you require the card printer to print on one side or on both sides

   Card Printers can be supplied in either single or dual sided formats. Some printers can be field upgraded from single to dual sided.

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6. What type of card are you looking to print onto i.e. Plain, Magnetic Stripe, Smartcard etc

   This will assist with selecting the appropriate model within the range of the proposed Card Printer. Smart and Proximity Cards can typically have a uneven surface due to the internal smarts of the card. Therefore a Re-Transfer Card Printer is better suited for printing onto this type of card

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7. Will card printer be required to sit on a network or just be a standalone unit

   Typically if a Card Printer is required to be shared among several users on the network, it will require an Ethernet interface installed. Alternatively if installed as a standalone the Card Printer interface would be USB

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8. Do you require the printer to read or write to the Magnetic Stripe or the Smarts of the card

   Card Printers can have a Magnetic Stripe and/or Smartcard Encoder installed and can read or write to a card with a Magnetic Stripe and/or Smartcard Chip embedded in the card.

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9. Do you require any security features on the card i.e. Hologram, Micro-printing or UV image?

   Some Card Printers enable the printing of various security features onto a card, hence if one or all of these features is required, a specific model will be proposed.

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10. Do you have a database, and if so what type is it?

    Card Printers typically operate best when connected to a dedicated Card Software Program. The version of these Card Software Programs is determined by the ability to with determining the proposed Card Software Program

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