Want to buy a Fargo HDP5000? Here's what you need to know

Looking for a new Fargo HDP5000 to take care of your organization’s card printing needs? You might, understandably, be surprised and overwhelmed with the number of considerations you need to make. Who knew card printers could be this complicated?

Here are the most important factors to consider:

The quality and durability of the printing
The speed of the printer/time per card
The types of printing or encoding it can do
The warranty and after-sales support

With so many factors in play and so many printers to choose from, there’s no one-printer-fits-all solution. Yet, with high-definition printing, a superb selection of add-on features, and an attractive price tag the HDP5000 is one to consider.

Reverse Transfer High-Definition Printing for Superb Images

This is the most noteworthy feature of the Fargo HDP5000. This technique involves printing on the underside (or opposite side) of a transparent film that’s then adhered to the card. This technique is at the cutting-edge of printing technology and has many vital advantages:

Tamperproof: Any attempt to scratch or remove the film will destroy the image.
Durability: The film acts as an extra layer of protection between the card print and the world.
Flexibility:Film can easily mold itself around uneven surfaces due to embedded chips or electronics.
Over-the-edge printing: This allows these benefits to be applied to the entire card, not just the front and the rear surface.

Fargo has been using HDP technology for some time, and have come close to perfection with the HDP5000. It’s also their most affordable HDP model to date. The images it creates are crisp with no smudging and accurate, vibrant colors. The use of reverse transfer printing also means that images stay that way for longer.

What kind of cards can it print?

It doesn't help much if you buy a printer that can’t create cards compliant with your local facilities. It’s a good thing then that the HDP5000 works with the most commonly used card size: CR-80 (3.370˝ L x 2.125˝ W / 85.6 mm L x 54 mm W).

The HDP5000 will be able to print the entirety of these cards as well as over the edges. The same goes for lamination.

Without any extra modules, you’ll only be able to produce cards for visual identification. However, with the right modules, you’ll be able to create magnetic stripe cards, smart cards, and more.

Customizability that adapts to your business

The Fargo HDP5000’s modular design means you can add-on features as your needs grow. The default model comes with HD single-side printing only, but you can add all of the following modules:

Dual-side printing
Single-sided or dual-sided card lamination
Magnetic stripe encoder
Smart card encoder for contact/contactless reading
An expanded 200 dual-card input hopper
Door and cartridge locks, and
A printer cleaning kit

Fargo has considered their customers with this design. If you only need a card printer that can produce high-quality, single-side printing, you can save a lot of money by just buying the printer. As another example, if you need a magnetic stripe reader, you’ll only have to purchase this module, and won’t have to pay extra for a smart card encoder.

That makes the Fargo HDP5000 one of the most versatile and adaptable card printers, both in terms of features and your budget.

Usability that slots into the modern organization

Unlike most card printers, the Fargo HDP5000 comes with an LCD control panel to provide important status updates and messages. That is great if you’ve ever struggled to memorize the cryptic flashing light messages of some printers.

Conveniently for larger organizations, the HDP5000 features an ethernet port and internal print server so that it can integrate into your computer network. This will allow you to issue print jobs across printers in your network, perfect for high-volume production from a central location. For universities or corporate campuses, the applications for this are nearly endless.

Fargo also supplies their Workbench software to help you set up your printer and manage security, firmware updates, and to run diagnostics. On top of that, the printer supports almost all leading card creation and issuance management software as well as Azure ID applications.

Great value for various budgets

The HDP5000 is Fargo’s most affordable HDP card printer to date. However, the refined printing and versatility of this device make it clear they didn’t compromise on quality. The modularity of the HDP5000 also means you can customize it to fit your needs and your budget. You can start with only the base model and then purchase extensions as your needs grow.

Although there are cheaper ID card printers out there, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that delivers the same cost-effectiveness. With reverse transfer and HDP printing,

Print Speed and Capacity

If you want a printer that can keep up with the demands of your organization, the HDP5000 doesn’t disappoint. With a top speed of around 150 cards per hour (YMC with transfer), it’s among the best. Of course, that time goes down depending on what kind of printing you want to be done:

YMCK with transfer: 124 cards per hour / 29 seconds per card
YMCK with transfer and dual-sided lamination: 102 cards per hour / 35 seconds per card
YMCKK with transfer: 90 cards per hour / 40 seconds per card
YMCKK with transfer and dual-sided lamination: 75 cards per hour / 48 seconds per card

That means you can print up to 936 cards in a 12-hour window. Even at its slowest, you’d still be able to put out 576 cards in the same amount of time. The HDP5000 should cut it for relatively large events with a few thousand people with enough of a head start.

Other handy features that will help you optimize a long printing process are:

A 100 dual-card input hopper cartridge to print multiple types
A 200-card hopper output cartridge

Warranty and Support

We’ve all faced the frustration of subpar after-sales service that can bring your operations to a standstill.

Fargo has your back with a standard 3-year warranty for every component with 1-year of free loaner support. That means you don’t have to put your business on hold just because your printer is in for repairs.

The printhead itself is designed for durability and never comes into contact with the cards’ surfaces (or anything else for that matter) and is backed by a lifetime warranty.

A versatile card printer for your organization

The Fargo HDP5000 seems to be ideal for large businesses where many people come and go. It can be used to supply ID cards for identification and security, particularly for access control to sensitive areas.

With that in mind, the HDP5000 is ideal for the following institutions:

Government agencies
Higher education institutions
Corporate businesses
Research laboratories
Gift or loyalty cards for retail stores
Health care facilities and hospitals

As it’s not the fastest printer around, it might not be ideal for concerts, seminars, or other events where thousands of cards need to be produced in a short time. However, using multiple printers in a network can overcome this obstacle.