Posted by admin on May 13, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Many businesses have decided to print their employee ID cards in-house as opposed to contracting an outside company because it is a more cost-effective way to produce these ID cards. There are several companies that sell printers with various options, capabilities, and accessories. The Evolis company is one of the most trusted printer manufacturers, and its printers are used in more than 100 countries around the world.
Depending on the size and type of business, you could choose from several different Evolis printers that would meet your needs the best. Here is a brief description of just a few of the Evolis printers available, as well as some accessories that could be used for each.
• The Evolis Tattoo 2 prints single-sided plastic ID cards. It is the smallest printer in its category, and because it is lightweight, it is easy to travel with. The printer allows you to personalize plastic cards and print barcodes on them as well. This Evolis printer is used by social organizations and clubs to produce membership cards. Retail stores use it to produce customer loyalty cards. Needless to say, any other kinds of businesses and organizations also use the Evolis Tattoo 2.
• The Evolis Dualys printer is capable of printing on both sides of plastic ID cards. In its category, it is the fastest Evolis printer available. With this printer, you could encode magnetic stripes and smart cards onto the ID cards. The printer is used in places such as motor vehicle agencies to produce driver’s licenses, colleges and universities to produce employee and student ID cards, and credit card companies.
• The Evolis Securion printer is capable of producing secured ID cards that are difficult to duplicate. If your company uses HID proximity cards as a measure to protect vital business information or keep unauthorized personnel out of restricted areas of your building, then this is the ideal printer for your company. The Evolis Securion is trusted by companies to produce the highly secure HID proximity cards. The cards can be encoded with a magnetic stripes and SMART cards. Places that use the Evolis Securion are government agencies, large corporations, and insurance agencies.
Evolis printers could be used for a wide variety of reasons, as demonstrated in the above examples. These printers are capable of printing high quality graphics and color. Certain ones work faster than others, but they are all able to mass produce ID cards. Whether your company has many customers who would appreciate membership cards, or if you work for a non-profit organization that needs employees and volunteers to have proper company identification, then purchasing an Evolis printer might be a wise move to make, especially if your company or organization is rather large. Before making such a decision, it would be sensible to look over your budget to determine if producing ID cards in-house would cost less than contracting a printing or design company. In any business decision, you should weigh the pros and cons before putting out any money.
Posted by admin on October 30, 2010 · 4 Comments
It can be difficult to compare specific brands of ID card printers, especially when you are trying to compare two major brands. For example, comparing a Fargo printer and Evolis printer can seem like a tough proposition. With so many new developments within the industry, increased price-based competition, and variety of solutions available, the differences can seem minimal. However, there are still some key indicators that you can use to choose which printer is right for.
The first thing that you need to look at is the features that are offered. While there are comparable models between all major brands, there are also some differences. A Fargo printer will often take up less space and be a little less expensive than a similar Evolis printer. However, when trying to compare models, the features are often different. This is primarily because Fargo offers a larger number of printers to choose from. That means that they may have two or three models that are comparable to a single Evolis model. With this is mind, it is important to focus first on the features that you need. By doing this, you will be able to choose a printer that is designed for your specific type of situation rather than a one-size-fits-all solution that will likely not have everything that you need.
The next thing to look at is overall cost. In many cases, a Fargo printer will slightly less expensive than a similar Evolis printer. However, you run into the same issue that you see when comparing features. There are going to be several Fargo products that fit within a specific price-point, whereas there will likely only be one Evolis product in this range. Additionally, because there are more options from Fargo, there is a higher chance that you will get certain accessories that you need, such as holographic printer ribbon included with your purchase. When looking at total cost, you should also consider how much maintenance, additional products (such as the ID card), and other variables can affect your long term expenses. Warranties are also something to keep in mind when comparing these two brands as well.
Finally, you should look at customer service/support. When it comes to support, a Fargo printer may carry a slight edge. This is because HID, the creator of the Fargo line of printers, has a separate website dedicated solely to customer support. While this is not to say that Evolis offers little support, because they do seem to have a solid track record of keeping their customers satisfied. However, if you do have a problem, there is a good chance that HID will be able to respond a little quicker.
When it comes to comparing a Fargo printer and Evolis printer, the final decision will often be based upon your specific needs rather than solely on which brand is superior. Both offer products with a variety of features and at a variety of different prices points. If customer support is you number one concern, then Fargo might carry the edge, although it should be considered a slim one. In making your final decision, it is almost entirely dependent on your needs because both brands seem to offer excellent products.
Posted by admin on October 27, 2010 · Leave a Comment
When it comes to purchasing ID card software there are a variety of different avenues that you can choose from. Depending on where you are at in your purchasing process, one option tends to stick out as the best option. The three most basic options are purchasing a complete printing system, purchasing a brand specific software, or purchase “universal” software. All of these options have specific benefits and drawbacks depending on your current situation. Here is a closer look at all three options and what they have to offer.
The most common route that many businesses take is to simply purchase an entire printing package. This will include not only ID card software, but also a printer, camera, cables, and some accessories. This is ideal solution if you currently don’t have anything that you need to get going. Not only to get everything all at once, but it is often much more inexpensive than purchasing everything separately. Plus, you don’t have to worry about software compatibility. For example, if you purchase a Zebra printer package, then you know that everything will easily integrate together seamlessly The only potential drawback is if you need to upgrade a certain item. While substitutions can sometimes be made, it isn’t always an option.
The next option is to purchase ID card software based upon your specific brand of printer. For example, if you have a Zebra printer, then you would choose software designed by the same company. The biggest benefit of choosing this option is that you know that you won’t have any problems integrating the software with your printer. Another benefit is that brand-specific software will often work with all of the printers made by that brand. This is particularly useful if you will be using the same software in multiple locations or having multiple projects running on multiple printers simultaneously. A final advantage is that the software will be designed to communicate directly with the card printer, which means that you won’t have to deal with the middleman (the Windows or Mac general printing prompts).
The final option is choose a universal ID card software. This is software that has been designed by a third party and has the ability to communicate with a wide variety of printers directly. The biggest potential benefit is that third party software will sometimes be more inexpensive. Another potential benefit is that the software will likely have a lot more options. However, if your printer does not have the ability to do something, such as print on both sides, then having software that allows you to create dual sided cards is fairly useless. The same is true with other features as well. The biggest potential problem is integration. While most universal software should quickly integrate with most major printer brands, it isn’t a guarantee. However, the customer support for the software will normally walk you through any additional steps that you need to take. While this may be a hassle, it can pay off in the long run.
As you can see, each option has specific benefits and drawbacks that you should consider when purchasing ID card software. If you don’t have anything, then a full printing package will normally be your best choice. However, if you already a specific printer, such a Zebra printer, then you will likely get the most utility out of either a brand specific or universal software instead of a full package.
