What should you look for in an ID card printer?
The right ID card printer depends on what you're printing, how often you'll use it and what you need the finished card to do. Before choosing a printer, check these eight things.
1. How many ID cards will you print?
Start with your expected print volume. A business producing a few staff photo ID cards each month has very different requirements from an organisation printing thousands of cards every year.
Buying far more printer than you need wastes budget, but choosing a machine designed for occasional use can become frustrating if your card printing grows.
Our advice: estimate both your annual volume and the largest batch you're likely to print at one time. Both numbers matter.
2. Will you print individual cards or batches?
Entry-level ID card printers may be hand-fed, meaning you insert each card individually. This can be perfectly practical if you're only producing the occasional employee ID card or visitor badge.
If you regularly print batches, choose an automatic-feed ID card printer. You can load blank cards into the hopper and allow the printer to work through the job without feeding each card by hand.
Simple rule: occasional individual cards suit hand feeding. Regular batches are much easier with automatic feeding.
3. Do you need single or double-sided printing?
Single-sided printer
Ideal if all the information fits on the front of the card. You can still print the reverse manually by turning the card over and feeding it through again.
Double-sided printer
Makes sense if most cards need information on both sides. The printer automatically flips the card, which saves considerable time when printing batches.
If double-sided printing is a regular requirement, compare our Double-Sided ID Card Printers .
4. What print quality do you need?
Most organisations printing everyday staff ID cards, photo ID badges and membership cards will be well served by a direct-to-card printer.
If premium print quality is important, or you need printing right over the edge of the card, a retransfer printer may be more suitable. Retransfer technology is also often preferred for some smart and technology cards because the print process is different.
Don't pay for premium print technology unless you need it. For many everyday ID programmes, a good direct-to-card printer is the sensible choice.
5. What type of cards will you print?
Standard photo ID cards and membership cards are straightforward for most desktop ID card printers, but specialist cards need a little more thought.
If you're printing RFID cards, access-control cards or other technology cards, check the card material and technology before choosing a printer.
Some access cards have embedded chips or uneven surfaces that can affect print quality. You may also need an encoder if information must be written to a magnetic stripe, contact chip or contactless chip as part of the printing process.
If you're unsure, tell us the card or access-control system you're using before ordering.
6. Is the printer compatible with your computer and software?
Check the operating system before you buy, particularly if you're using a Mac. Printer drivers and the card-design software supplied with different models are not always the same.
Don't forget the card-design software
Starter card software is included with many of our ID card printers and is suitable for creating straightforward staff ID cards, membership cards and badges.
If you need features such as larger databases, data imports or more advanced card management, you may need a higher software edition later.
If you're using macOS, tell us before ordering a non-Evolis printer so we can check driver compatibility and make sure suitable software is supplied where available.
Read What Is ID Card Software and Why Do I Need It? for a fuller explanation.
7. What will the ID card printer cost to run?
Don't compare ID card printers on purchase price alone. Replacement ribbon yield, blank-card costs and your annual print volume can make a significant difference to the total cost of ownership.
A cheaper printer may still be the best-value choice for very low usage, while a printer with a higher purchase price can make more sense when you're printing regularly.
We've covered the calculations separately in our guide to ID card printer running costs and cost per card .
8. What's included with the printer?
Two similarly priced ID card printers may include different warranties, software or starter supplies, so check what you're actually getting before comparing the headline price.
Before you order, check:
- Printer warranty length
- Which card-design software is included
- Whether a ribbon and blank cards are included or need buying separately
- Which replacement ribbons and cleaning supplies the printer uses
- Whether optional support or aftercare is available if you need it
If this is your first card printer, an ID Card Printer Bundle can make the setup easier by supplying the printer with compatible essentials.
So, which ID card printer should you buy?
Start with your print volume, then narrow the choice using card feeding, single or double-sided printing, print quality, card type and computer compatibility.
Once you've found printers that meet those requirements, compare the purchase price, running costs, warranty and what's included.
If you'd rather compare specific models, our Best ID Card Printer guide groups our current recommendations by print volume and requirement.
Our Printer Finder Quiz asks a few short questions about your printing requirements and recommends suitable options.
