When to Use ID Card Services or Print Your Own

There are many reasons why you need ID cards or badges. You may need security access cards for employees, ID badges for visitors or conference attendees, or you need loyalty cards to hand out to your best customers. Once you’ve identified a need for ID cards, the next step is to decide how to get those cards.

It’s a question we get asked often: Should I have my ID cards pre-printed or print my own? But the answer to that isn’t as simple as you’d like. It really depends on several things. The following questions will help you narrow down the best option for your situation.

1. Do you need to print ID cards or badges on demand?
2. Is there a need to print replacement cards or badges when they get lost?
3. Do your cards all have the same information to be printed or is each card customized?
4. How often do you need ID cards or badges (e.g., do you have high or low turnover)?

When to Invest in an In-House ID Card Printing Solution

Getting your own in-house ID card printing system can save you valuable time when issuing cards to employees, customers, visitors, or vendors. If you need a quick, on-demand solution, most in-house solutions can print an ID card in under 30 seconds. This is extremely useful if you need to replace lost badges on a frequent basis.

ID card printers are pretty close to printing on a traditional desktop printer, so the technology isn’t that difficult to understand. Most software comes with templates to help you design your in-house badges and cards, and printers can print everything from single to double sided cards and barcodes to contactless microchips.

Where this might not be a feasible solution is for a small office with 50 employees or less and low turnover. Buying the hardware, software, and supplies like printer ribbons and cards might be cost-prohibitive. Also, as your business grows, the card system you’ve purchased might not be able to handle the increase in output.

When to Have Your Cards Pre-Printed

If you have a large volume of cards with the same information on each, ordering in bulk from a custom printer might save you money in the long run. You don’t need to purchase the hardware and software to create your cards or badges, nor do you need to have staff trained to operate the equipment and maintain it.

A custom card print solution can take your information, logo, and other graphics and deliver a professional card designed by skilled experts. Custom printed cards can even include other security measures like barcodes, magnetic stripes, or contactless chips. For small companies, working with a vendor to pre-print your ID cards can lower your overall cost of issuing badges.

The major drawback for using a vendor to pre-print your ID cards is the time involved. You can’t print a card on demand. If someone loses their security ID, you’ll need to send the information to a vendor and wait for the card to be printed and mailed to you. And most vendors won’t print anything less than 500 cards per order.

The IDSecurityOnline Difference

We’ve leveled the playing field between in-house and outsourcing your card printing needs by offering a no minimum order quantity when you choose to use our custom pre-printed ID cards service, the ID Card Service Bureau. Our experts are highly skilled in creating professional, custom designed cards and badges for a variety of uses.

IDSecurityOnline has the best option to fit your requirements. Our experts will guide you through the choice of purchasing an in-house solution or using our professional ID Card Service Bureau. Whichever option you decide to use, you know you’ll get exactly what you need at a price that fits your budget.

Call one of our experts today to discover which solution is best for you.