If you’re looking to achieve a quality ID card with a desktop ID card printer at the fraction of the cost of a mass production offset printer, it’s all about the design.
Here are our top design tips:
1 –use textured colours where possible. Plain colour areas are the most likely to show any variation
2– avoid coloured bands running along the card and into a photo as discrepancies will be noticeable.
3 – try reversing the whole image to select the best result. Photos will sometimes print better at the start of the card or the end of the card depending on the layout.
4 –use lighter tones where possible. Darker colours create more heat to print and an accumulation can build up.
5 – avoid placing critical parts of the image directly above the chip or aerial of a contactless card to allow for any unevenness in the surface which can cause white or faded patches. Avoid large areas of solid colour too, as these are most likely to reveal embedded items. A white background is best, or art with varied colour or pattern.
6 –any captured image such as an ID photograph should be lit correctly for colour and brightness and is properly focused as the printer cannot improve a poor quality input.
7 – be careful when using a logo or bitmap as they can suffer from distortion or pixilation when enlarged or reduced in size.
8 –ensure the colour of any picture element is correct when printed even if the colour looks incorrect on the screen.
NOTE: Although no dye-sublimation printer will give the same quality/quantity of output as can be achieved with a mass production offset printer, if a badge is designed correctly results can be achieved with a desktop dye sublimation printer that looks as good to the naked eye.
To design the best ID card for your company and brand, you need an easy-to-use software companion to your Magicard printer. TrustID is a great place to start and will help you to design and create the perfect card layout with confidence.
See more here.
