If your ID card printer is reaching the end of its working life, don't automatically send it to landfill.
Depending on the condition of the printer, you may be able to repair it, trade it in, donate it, reuse it for parts or recycle it through an appropriate electrical waste route.
If you're replacing an older model, you can compare our current range of ID card printers or speak to our team if you're unsure what would suit your current card-printing needs.
When is it time to replace an ID card printer?
There is no fixed lifespan for an ID card printer. How long it lasts depends on factors such as print volume, maintenance, the working environment and whether replacement parts and manufacturer support are still available.
Before replacing a printer, it is worth checking whether the problem can be solved with routine maintenance, cleaning or a replaceable part. Worn rollers, dirty card paths and printhead problems can all affect print quality, but they do not always mean that the whole printer needs replacing.
Signs that it may be time to consider an upgrade include:
- repeated print-quality or card-feeding problems
- increasing repair costs
- replacement parts becoming difficult to source
- the manufacturer no longer supporting the printer
- drivers no longer supporting your current operating system
- your organisation now printing more cards than the printer was designed to handle
- needing newer features such as network connectivity, encoding or improved security options
Check whether your old printer has trade-in value
Before arranging recycling, check whether a trade-in promotion is available. Some manufacturers and suppliers occasionally offer discounts when an older printer is replaced with a newer model.
Where a trade-in scheme is available, the old printer may then be refurbished, reused for parts or recycled appropriately rather than simply being discarded.
If you have an ID card printer to replace, contact us at sales@thecardnetwork.co.uk or call 01244 526009 and we can let you know whether there are any suitable trade-in options available.
How do you recycle an old ID card printer?
ID card printers are electrical equipment, so they should be handled through an appropriate electrical and electronic waste recycling route rather than being placed in general waste.
A suitable recycling service may be able to refurbish the printer, recover usable components or safely recycle the remaining electrical materials.
If the printer belongs to a business, check that the recycling centre or collection service you use accepts business electrical equipment.
Find electrical recycling options through Recycle Now.
Before disposing of an ID card printer
Card printers can contain more than just electrical components, so there are a few things worth checking before the printer leaves your organisation.
- Remove any blank or partially printed cards from the input and output hoppers.
- Remove the print ribbon or retransfer film.
- Dispose of used ribbons securely if they contain visible imprints of personal card data.
- Remove any removable encoding modules, accessories or upgrade parts you intend to reuse.
- Check whether the printer stores print-job or configuration data and follow the manufacturer's guidance before disposal.
This is particularly important where the printer has been used to produce staff ID cards, access cards, membership cards or other cards containing personal information.
Could you donate your old ID card printer?
If the printer still works and has useful life left in it, donation or refurbishment may be a better option than immediate recycling.
Organisations such as WeeeCharity accept a range of electrical equipment for reuse, refurbishment or recycling.
Before donating a printer, it is worth checking whether compatible drivers, ribbons and other consumables are still readily available. An otherwise working printer is not particularly useful to its next owner if the consumables have become obsolete.
Why might you upgrade instead of repairing?
Sometimes a printer still works, but no longer suits the job you need it to do.
A small hand-fed printer may have been ideal when you were only producing a handful of cards, but if your organisation now prints larger batches, a printer with a bigger input hopper and faster print speed can save a significant amount of staff time.
Newer printers may also provide features such as improved network connectivity, higher-resolution printing, smart-card encoding options and additional security features.
Older printers can also eventually become difficult to use with newer computers if drivers and software are no longer supported by the manufacturer.
Repair, recycle or replace?
If the printer only needs cleaning or a replaceable part, repairing it may be the most sensible and sustainable option.
If it still works but no longer meets your requirements, check whether it has trade-in or donation value.
If it is genuinely beyond economical repair, use an appropriate electrical waste recycling service so that as much of the equipment as possible can be recovered or reused.
If you are ready to replace your old printer, browse our current ID card printer range, or contact our team on 01244 526009 for help choosing a suitable replacement.
