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Encoding Data Onto The Card
Information can also be stored on the card in a number of different
formats:
Barcode - These are available in a wide variety of types
(known as symbologies) and are ideal for storing a card or
other number for time & attendance, asset tagging and data
capture applications.
Magnetic Stripe - This is the most commonly used data
storage format on a plastic card and can be encoded in both Hi-
Co (more durable) and Lo-Co (less durable) formats. Selecting
which type of magnetic stripe to adopt depends on how the card is
to be used. The chart shows applications where magnetic stripes
are used and which type is commonly used for that application.
Smart Card - These can be used to store a much greater
amount of information than a magnetic stripe. Most versions
can be encoded using a Zebra printer and one of the specialist
encoder modules from DED. Smart Cards are commonly used for
cashless payment, loyalty and bank/medical record storage.
Proximity Cards – These can store a similar amount of
information to a smart card but the card does not need to
come into physical contact with the reader. A small loop aerial
located in the card surface allows information to be transmitted
between the card and reader from a small distance. Proximity
cards are ideal for applications where a higher speed of
transaction is required such as public transport passes.
3
How It Works
All plastic card printers feature the same basic printing
operations; dye sublimation and/or thermal transfer
printing. Both techniques involve a
ribbon being heated as it passes
under a thermal print head. Thermal
transfer heats and transfers ink
onto the plastic card surface
whereas dye sublimation heats and
undergoes a chemical change process that
turns the ink into a gaseous state which then “dyes”
the plastic card.
The ribbon used in colour dye sublimation printing is
divided into separate colour panels; Yellow, Magenta,
and Cyan. These are most
commonly seen as part of a
ribbon referred to as YMCKO
which also includes a thermal
transfer black designed for printing barcodes
and a UV overlay to prevent the dye sublimation print
from fading. The dye from the ribbon is applied to the
plastic card as a multi-pass operation where the card
passes under the printhead once for each of the
ribbon panels. (Colour Ribbon)
All printers are also capable of printing in mono-
chrome using a single colour ribbon. These ribbons
are less expensive than full colour multi-panel ribbons
and are available in Black, White, Silver, Gold, Red,
Green and Blue
. (Monochrome Ribbon)
Plastic cards have become part of everyone’s life, from credit cards to driver’s licences,
membership cards to ID badges. Their size, portability and durability have made them the vehicle
of choice for many applications.
Plastic card printers offer the ability to quickly and easily produce a custom card tailored to an
application or to personalise a preprinted card on demand, at the point of issue. They are simple
to integrate with image capture systems (digital cameras, scanners etc.) and most databases.
Digitally printed plastic cards start with a blank plastic card that can be printed with any combination of graphics, text, photo-
graphs and barcodes. Additional electronic information can also be encoded, such as magnetic stripes and Smart Card chips.
Card Durability and Security
The chart below shows the typical levels of durability and security achieved using the various printers and/or ribbon combinations.
yellow
cyan
magenta
black
overlay yellow
cyan
magenta
black
overlay
black
Material
Overlay Vanish
Overlay Vanish with Built-In Bitmap
Overlay Vanish with Hologram
Clear Overlaminate Patch
Overlaminate Patch with Hologram
Printer
P110, P120, P205, P210, P310, P330, P420
Alto, Tempo, Avalon, Rio, Tango, Prima
C30
P110, P120, P205, P210, P310, P330, P420
Alto, Tempo, Avalon, Rio, Tango, Prima
C30
P310, P330, P420
Prima
P520, P640
Prima & Laminator, Sicura
P520, P640
Prima & Laminator, Sicura
Card Life
Up to 2 years
Up to 2 years
Up to 2 years
Up to 5 years (P520)
5 years Magicard
Up to 7 years (P640)
Up to 5 years (P520)
5 years Magicard
Up to 7 years (P640)
Durabilty
Normal
Normal
Normal
High
High
Security
None
Visual - Low
Visual - High
None
Visual - High
Applications Lo-Co Hi-Co Usage
Access Control
Daily
Membership Cards
Weekly/Monthly
Time and Attendance
Daily
Debit/Credit/Loyalty Cards
Weekly/Monthly
An Introduction To
Plastic Card Printing