What does YMCKO stand for?

Whether you work in the corporate world, government or perhaps even a local high school, security has never been more important in this day and age. The threats to security are many and the human capital that passes through your building each day are some of your most precious assets. Thankfully, one of the simplest methods to enhance security has never been more accessible to organizations small and large alike. A comprehensive security ID card printer system puts the power in your hands. Unfortunately, if your boss delegated the power to order the printer ribbon into your hands then it might seem a little bit confusing. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

What do all the letters mean?

First, let’s tackle all the various coded letters staring back at you. Believe it or not, it’s not a secret code and the lettering is all very logical. In regards to printer ribbon, you will commonly see the name YMCK. Y represents the color yellow, M is for magenta and C is for Cyan. Then there is K which stands for black. There is a fascinating backstory as to why black is represented by K instead of the letter B, but that’s for another blog.

When you put all the letters together like an episode of Sesame Street you get a full-color ribbon capable of printing images and text. The combination of these 4 colors is enough to do just about any job and is what you will need if you are looking to have id cards, rewards cards or membership cards with a little more pizazz than your standard black and white. Whether you want a single sided id card system or a double sided printer, if you wind up with YMCK in your shopping cart you are going to be able print in full color.

Now it’s your turn!

Next, that brings us to YMCKOK. You’ll notice this ribbon has a curious O along with another K. The O represents the added feature of the overlay. Without an overlay the cards are more susceptible to scratching and wear. The extra K means that it has the ability to print barcodes or text on the backside of the card in black. Whereas this blog doesn’t represent the full spectrum of ribbons you will see, the letter coding is fairly universal. Once you can read printer ribbon language you should be able to navigate your way around any of our ribbon products.

Finally, let’s not forget about the good old plain K. A monochrome ribbon will print in black and some in full grayscale, but still black. These are often more affordable, but you lose the ability to print in any color. When it comes to output, one can expect at least 1,000 prints from your average monochrome ribbon. Some ribbons report less and others report more depending on brand and function, but that’s a good generalization. YMCK or YMCKOK can produce on average between 250 to 500 prints depending on brand.

So there you have it. You are ready to shop and take action to protect the security of those fellow humans trusted to you as an organization every day. Whether you are looking for just a printer or a full comprehensive security id system we’d be honored to walk you through that process as well. Some of the top brands in the corporate world and government trust us with their security and we are confident you’ll be pleased as well. Not to mention, now you even know how to reader printer language!