This white documents is intended as some sort of reference regarding federal officers considering technological innovation available to get issuing protected ID charge cards. There are 3 main components of this choice:

• ID card body or ID card essence material
• Print or maybe personalization technologies
• Laminate or topcoat material

All elements must be compatible intended for a new successful IDENTIFICATION card printing program and each component impacts often the cost, toughness plus protection of the ID credit. There are many trade-offs involved in a choice with the appropriate combination. There is not any “best” method, so often the technological innovation choices should possibly be carefully considered against software requirements, and rigorously examined using the components determined.

ID Card Resources ~ Substrates

1. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) is the nearly all trusted material for cheap clean USERNAME cards, and has recently been used intended for photo USERNAME credit cards regarding more than 10 yrs. Low in cost, typically the smooth surface of photo quality PVC material will accept dyes for high top quality impression printing on IDENTITY charge cards and is compatible with most layered resources. Although there are some sort of broad quality range connected with PVC resources, durability will be limited for purposes having high utilization. Material might be branded as pre-cut cards or perhaps sheet material (on large digital presses). PVC is generally the least expensive cost of typically the components used for ID cards, and is primarily utilized for USERNAME cards using 1 ~ 3 12 months sturdiness prerequisites.

2. Blend Cards ordinarily combine layers of PVC and FAMILY PET. Developed in the beginning for the university and college or university USERNAME card market, IDENTIFICATION cards recurring combine ranging volumes of each material to meet a range of sturdiness requirements in addition to price factors. The outer layer regarding the construction is PVC to facilitate digital IDENTIFICATION card printing, and the inside core is CANINE intended for greater flexibility and even durability. It includes the identical offset printing and even credit construction characteristics as PVC, and can be easily set up with RFID, IC together with contactless technologies. Companies continue to keep build new blend constructions (e. g. PVC/PET/PC) to incorporate specific performance qualities. Blend ID cards happen to be usually used for federal government USERNAME credit cards that call for some sort of longer lifetime.

3 or more. Teslin is a fabricated porous material produced by way of PPG Industries. It can be sensitive to be able to conventional balance out printing used in high stability designs. Throughout sheet form, it can be published using standard color electrophotographic (laser) printers or ink jet printers. Because the work surface will not be smooth like PVC the idea cannot be right printed with dye eindringen in eine substanz printers.

Print Technologies

a single. Dye Sublimation (sometimes referred to as dye diffusion thermal exchange – as well as D2T2) functions heat in order to transfer dyes to a espèce. Utilized for high quality coloration printing, the task creates continuous tone shades by various the amount of high temperature applied. Ordinarily a two or three color ribbon (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) is passed under a thermal printhead and heat is definitely put on deposit dye. Bow chemical dyes can be used:
a. Direct – published directly to the IDENTIFICATION card surface; or even,
w. RETRANSFER – printed to help the backside of the clean re-transfer bow which in turn is and then fused for you to the ID credit card floor and is often associated with the HDP series. It is definitely frequently used to personalize smart charge cards which may well have irregular floors.


The advantage of the color sublimation process is typically the extensive range of colors that can be created. Moderate variations in heat produce different shades of the particular same coloration and the particular transparent dyes might be utilized over one one more, producing solid color gradient. Technological innovation such as inkjet or perhaps color electrophotographic printing depend upon dithered images where good color dots are printed out closely together creating a image overall look of some sort of solid coloration. The normal 300 dpi printhead then can obtain picture excellent superior to a three hundred dpi image resolution from dithered images. There are a wide range of computer ID card printers and some central issuance printers employing direct and retransfer ID card printing technologies. These types of computer printers include in-line personalization of magnetic stripes, contactless or contact chips, RFID, etc. A disadvantage regarding this technology is the particular supply cost for any multi-panel ribbon. Another constraint is definitely that the dyes need to be shielded via degradation that may derive from chemical or ultraviolet of which attack.

2. Resin or perhaps Pigment Transfer is one more implementing thermal transfer printing making use of heat to first deposit plant or perhaps pigment in a essence. Thermally applied resins will be more stable compared to dyes and therefore are much even more resistant to fading. Resins can be applied:
some sort of. Lead – printed found in monochrome directly to a ID credit card surface; or even,
b. Retransfer – making resins with a 3-4-5 board ribbon imprinted to the particular backside of some sort of clear retransfer ribbon which can be next fused to the USERNAME card surface. Specially formulated retransfer ribbons are a great deal more sensitive to resins than PVC, and can end up being printed at increased us dot resolution. Retransfer may be used to modify smart cards which could have got irregular surfaces.

4. Laserlight Engraving When polycarbonate chemicals are hit by the aimed laser beam they adjust to tiny carbon bubbles. These form a dark color, and permanently get a new substrate. By directing a laser beam at a good morne polycarbonate material laminated within the surface of typically the ID greeting card, this can be possible to produce or “engrave” high decision photographs or typeface under this top surface. Even microfeatures can be released. Numerous the amount of laser energy makes it possible for a fact gray-scale printing which usually makes photo quality black and white graphics. Typically the producing text or even image does not fade which is not subject to deterioration from UV light, moisture or perhaps surface abrasion.

gift card printer can in addition be focused at the surface laminate from the ID card with sufficient energy to help disturb the ID credit surface, generating a responsive effect. In contrast to the additional printing solutions referred to, right now there is no ongoing provide goods (ribbons, toners, foils or maybe overlay materials) expected. Quite a limited number of manufacturers connected with laser engraving personalization devices. These programs can be set up having in-line personalization connected with permanent magnetic stripes, contactless as well as get hold of chips, RFID, etc . Often the equipment required to produce laserlight engraved cards as well as files is more expensive and technologically sophisticated in comparison with the other printing strategies described, making it quite hard to be procured intended for unsanctioned use. This engineering has become used in The eu for more than ten years for high security files.

Laminate or Topcoat Components

1. Thin Film Coatings Color thermal transfer laces and ribbons (dye and resin types) generally include a clear coating panel which is usually applied to the full covering of the ID credit once the color making is full. The topcoats are designed to reduce dye migration and give only limited abrasion together with chemical resistance. Topcoats are usually used on corporate and business worker IDENTIFICATION cards where the card will be mostly with regard to visual identification. Topcoats may be intentionally removed allowing alteration and/or substitute involving printed information.

Tiny motion picture security topcoats substantial optically variable features (e. h. ID card holograms or maybe specialized inks) double for you to give a level regarding counterfeit and tamper resistance. The films are merely various microns thick and even is not removed intact, offering if you are an00 of tamper research. Along with a clear coating these two layers offer you a little better chemical and usure resistance, nevertheless are able to still be removed. This kind of security topcoat is employed on many IDENTIFICATION charge cards in which security threats by tampering or modification are not important. They are generally also used on ID files such as passports where the surface area is usually not subjected to better amounts of abrasion common to help ID playing cards.

2. UV-Cured Topcoats Ultraviolet cured coatings are readily available on almost all central issuance Datacard® programs and provide a higher level of abrasion together with chemical resistance than tiny topcoats. The material is used during personalization and even then relieved with some sort of UV source. It offers the moderate level of safety for thermally printed photos and text. They are generally generally used in fiscal as well as devotion cards, but are generally not advised with regard to ID card purposes.

3. Polyester Laminates Polyester-made laminates are used in roll form and applied while “patches” to the exterior of the ID card, or perhaps found in sheet form in order to a cut-sheet substrate. Inside of both cases the fabric will be laminated with heating in addition to pressure to the surface of the ID credit. Programs for ID papers generally use laminates down and up from 0. 0005 – 0. 001” ( one-half to 1 mil). All these laminates are best for abrasion and chemical weight, and can incorporate UV blockers against fading. They happen to be extremely adaptable, and might significantly extend this beneficial life of many forms of ID documents.

Numerous security features can turn out to be included into the thicker laminates, as well as optically shifting features, security printing, as well as serial numbers. These kind of laminates are used on several secure government identification credit cards, providing a high rank of counterfeit and tampering deterrence. This strongest stage of lamination comes about any time combining identical as well as chemically-linked materials where the layered and substrate are joined under heat and stress. Laminating polyester materials to types of substrates requires professional adhesives. Because often the laminate materials is wider, it may be quicker to remove intact leaving the main USERNAME card or report insecure to tampering.