While the requirements for designing and printing cards can be daunting, by following simple maxims, you will be able to easily design and print cards for any project.

1. Start with Quality.

Obtain a quality ID card printer and badging system from your dealer or integrator. Don’t skimp and purchase a cheap off-brand for your project.

Use high quality blank cards. While they may all look the same, there are actually several types of blank PVC cards available. The quality of the blank card directly affects the quality of the finished item and the quantity of waste in time and materials.

Things to check for when purchasing blank cardstock:

• Cards are the correct size (CR80 is the standard credit card size) and thickness (30-40 mm is recommended for long term card use)
• The cards have clean edges, flat surfaces, no surface contamination, and are opaque to light.
• If the cards have electronic components inside (proximity/contact chip), these must not create any unevenness in the card surface.

You may have to obtain several batches of cardstock from different manufacturers before finding cards with the right build and quality to fulfill your project’s needs.

2. Design your card with the end in mind

Simplicity always works best. Include a name, identification number, scannable barcode, picture, and other essential elements but leave out specific identity information that is subject to change such as an address or phone number.

Think about the card’s use. Do not print important information in places where the card will come into contact with readers (such as the area around a magnetic stripe), as the card print in this area may be scratched off with use.

Don’t ignore the printing process when you design your cards. With a dye-sublimation printer, you can achieve a very high-quality product by designing your cards with lighter colors and avoiding large plain-color areas.

No printer can improve bad images and graphics, so it is important to ensure that all photos are properly lit and any graphics are sourced from high-resolution files so they do not pixelate or distort. 

3. Know your printer’s process

There are three main types of card printing: dye-sublimation, reverse-transfer, and offset. Offset printing is done on large machines and cannot be done on-location. Most desktop printers use dye-sublimation while higher end models may use the reverse-transfer printing process.

The biggest difference between dye-sublimation and reverse-transfer is speed and cost. Reverse-transfer does give higher quality cards, but with a good dye-sublimation printer, the difference is often negligible.

As you print, the print head will get progressively hotter; this is compensated for in the printer firmware, but it may affect how some card designs print. 

Dust and debris on the card surface will cause small white blemishes to appear in the image so keeping the cards and tacky rollers clean is imperative. Using gloves to handle and load blank cards is always recommended.

Just like an inkjet printer, colors appearing on the monitor will not always be exactly the same as those that are printed. To get the best looking cards, print some samples, then adjust the gamma and print head power within the printer driver. This may take some trial and error, so allocating time for sample printing and driver adjustment is an essential part of any printing process.

In general, printing quality cards is not difficult. By starting with good materials and keeping the abilities and limitations of your Magicard printer in mind, you will end up with identification cards that work well, last long, and look great.