Just like any piece of equipment, an ID card printer will have a limited lifespan.
In this post, we’re going to be discussing the life expectancy of ID card printers, whether certain card printers last longer and some helpful tips for extending the life expectancy of your machine. Let’s begin.
The life expectancy of your ID card printer depends on many factors, including:
One way of estimating your printer lifespan is by looking at its warranty. This will give you a guaranteed life expectancy.
Most ID card printers have a warranty period ranging between 2 – 4 years, with the IDP Smart 31 and Smart 51 card printers covered by an unrivalled 5 year warranty.
After the warranty period, printers may begin to deliver a lesser print quality or show signs of damage.
If your old printer is out of warranty, it’s the perfect time to think about trading it in for a newer model. You can do this with our ID card printer trade-in service.
Retransfer printers tend to last longer than direct-to-card printers.
This is because the print head of a retransfer machine does not make direct contact with the plastic card, whereas for a direct-to-card printer, it does.
This direct contact can be an issue as it increases the likelihood of damage being caused over time, regardless of how well the machine is cleaned.
Therefore, as a retransfer printer’s print head does not make direct contact, it is likely to last longer than a direct-to-card printer. This is why many ID printer manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty on the print head for retransfer printers.
If you’re considering a retransfer machine, you should keep in mind that it will have higher up-front costs than a direct-to-card machine, however will offer much more value.
Capable of both single-sided and dual-sided printing, retransfer ID card printers offer a superior print quality, create longer-lasting ID cards and are the only printer type we recommend for printing onto access control cards.
To find out more about which type of machine best suits your ID card printing needs, check out our updated card printer buying guide.
We’ve established that opting for a retransfer printer will result in a machine with a longer lifespan.
Below are some additional tips for extending the life expectancy of your ID card printer:
Regular servicing and ensuring your ID card printer is looked after properly will help ensure a longer life expectancy. You can see a full list of top maintenance tips for card printers here.
The life expectancy of an ID card printer depends on several factors and is unique to each machine. All ID card printers have a warranty period of 2 – 5 years, so will last at least this.
Furthermore, proper cleaning using genuine supplies will preserve the print quality and extend the printer life beyond the warranty period.
We’ve helped over 25,000 companies strengthen their security systems over the last 3 decades by providing the best photo ID and access control solutions on the market. And we would love to help you, too.
Whether it’s a single-sided printer you need or a dual-sided printer is more up your street, we guarantee to have something to suit your ID card printing needs. We stock only the best ID card printers from the world’s leading brands. Our machines can print student and staff ID cards, membership cards, loyalty cards, access control cards and much more.
You can view all ID card printers here.
Or for a custom package tailored to your company’s needs, speak to a member of our expert team on 0800 988 2095 or at sales@digitalid.co.uk today. We look forward to speaking to you.
Once you’ve established the level of security you’re looking for, the next thing to ask yourself is: How long does this card need to last?
The answer to this is affected by numerous conditions:
……not to mention how it’s used by the wearer, after all, it has been known for cards to split when users employ them as window screen ice scrapers or fading and warping when left exposed to the sun.
Clearly, if it’s a single-use gift or loyalty card, it doesn’t need to last as long as, say, a government ID or driver’s licence. Even in terms of employee credentials, organisations expect cards to have a lifespan of number of years -although it’s good practice to update them regularly as individuals change over time. As a result, the traditional, single substrate, monopolymer PVC card is losing ground to composite cards such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or Teslin for greater durability. This reflects the increased complexity of the ID card’s role and increased number of security features.
Do you want it to last for five, seven or 10 years? How will it be used? Is it used once every so often, or several times each day? All of this will impact durability. Will it be used outside? Cards used frequently outdoors can degrade and become brittle due to UV exposure, leading to premature failure and cracking.
Consider the security of the card. You can produce the longest lasting card, but if it doesn’t include security features strong enough to see it through such a lifespan, then it has done little good. Cards with multiple substrates allow you to embed security features into different layers of the card to make it counterfeit proof. You might have a hologram embedded on one layer and another feature on the Teslin layer.
Then there are any embedded electronic components. These chips and antenna coils have to be protected and if you use highly rigid card materials such as PVC and polycarbonate with embedded electronics, they may crack over time.
With contact, contactless and dual-interface cards, the durability of the internal components, circuitry and connections can significantly affect card life longevity but as ever, it’s best to opt for the PVC and polyester blends mentioned above to maximise card lifespan. This type of card is also more resistant to chemicals, abrasion, peeling and flexibility.
In addition, take into account characteristics such as the magnetic stripe or printed barcode, the UV resistance of the printed surface as well as the dye quality. If the card includes an integrated circuit chip with a contact pad or a contactless antenna, the card should maintain functionality after exposure to x-rays and magnetic fields, and it should survive anticipated levels of electrostatic discharge exposure.
In order to be confident in protection levels, look out for internationally recognised standards such as ISO 24789 and ANSI 322.
ISO/IEC 24789: A methodology for determining a card’s expected lifespan taking into consideration the demands placed upon it by the various applications it will support. The second part uses this determination to define a series of tests to evaluate if it can meet this prescribed lifespan.
ANSI INCITS 322: This defines a Card Structural Integrity Test to help gauge a card’s resilience against delamination under adverse environmental conditions. The test is considered rigorous and used most often as a qualitative or comparative assessment between different card constructions.
Ultimately, there’s no single answer when it comes to durability: it all comes down to use
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