Blog

Visitor Badges – This Message Will Self-Destruct in 5 Seconds

September 22 in ID Cards, Security by admin | No Comments

When I was a kid I loved watching Mission Impossible. I dreamed of being a secret agent saving the world while using really cool gadgets the whole time. Of course, the theme song for the show was pretty awesome too. But, the best part was the start of each show. Peter Graves received a message about the next mission while riding on a plane, train or car. Okay, I know I just lost some of you with the Peter Graves reference. Here’s the thing, Mission Impossible was actually a tv show before it became a movie. However, if you prefer, you can substitute Tom Cruise for Peter Graves. Anyway, Peter (or Tom) read the document outlining the next mission, and then it would self-destruct as plumes of smoke went into the air. Awesome.

So what does Mission Impossible have to do with a visitor badge? We now have visitor badges that self-destruct! Okay, we don’t really. However, we do have some visitor badges that do change once they are no longer valid.

Expiring badges are a great, cost effective option to keep track of visitors. They come in the form of stickers, pre-printed badges and even printable badges. Each one has a front side which is printable/writable and a backside. When the two are combined and given to a visitor at your facility, the badge will slowly begin to expire as the front side disappears and the design on the backside shows through. Once you see the backside, you know that visitor doesn’t have the right to be in the building anymore. The badges are available for ½ days, 1 day, 1 week and 1 month periods.

Give us a call at (317) 488-1030 to learn more about expiring badges and how they can help your company.

Tagged , , ,

How do I Protect my Card Printing Program? The Terminator Perhaps?

September 19 in ID Card Printer, Security by admin | No Comments

Who doesn’t love the concept of the Terminator sequels?! An all-powerful machine that looks human follows John Conner, the eventual leader of the human resistance, everywhere in order to protect him from certain death at the hands of other machines sent by Skynet to destroy him. Of course, I am going to ignore the whole premise of the original movie where the Terminator was sent back in time to actually destroy Conner, but who knew Arnold would become so popular?

We would all love to have someone, or something, around to protect us. Unfortunately, we can’t all have our very own Terminators. However, we can take steps to protect our card printing programs.

There are ID Printers such as the Fargo DTC4500 and the Zebra ZXP Series 8 that can be password protected. As a result, a security code must be entered before someone can use the printer. Other ID printers, such as the Datacard SP75 and the Zebra ZXP Series 3, can be secured to a workstation through the use of a Kensington lock.

ID Printers even have options to keep your card supplies safe. ID Printers can have locking input and output hoppers. This helps prevent theft, particularly of really expensive cards such as proximity or smart cards.

Please give us a call to learn more about the steps you can take to keep you card printing program secure. We can be reached Monday through Friday at (317) 488-1030.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Umm, how exactly do I make these cards?

September 1 in ID Card Printer, ID Cards, ID Software by admin | No Comments

You weighed the pros and cons of a lot of different ID printer options available and you picked a model that really fits your needs. Your ID printer can make double sided cards, it can laminate, it can print quickly and, heck, it can even make a chicken pot pie (okay, I made that last one up, an ID printer can’t do that). Now you are ready to design your ID card, at least you think so.

You sit down at your desk with your leftover chicken pot pie, take a big bite and get ready to work (WRONG! Didn’t you read the blog entry from August 15?! You never work with an ID printer while you eat. The grease and the grime will destroy your ID printer. Okay, let’s start over). You sit down at your clean and clear desk and get ready to work. There is just one problem – how are you going to design your ID card?

You can create an ID card using a Windows based program, such as Photoshop or Word. However, if you use an actual ID card program you can streamline the process and save yourself a lot of time in the long run. The most popular ID card software brands are Jolly, Asure ID and CardStudio. Each is very effective, but they have a different look and feel. We would strongly encourage you to download a demo version to get a feel for each. You might prefer one brand over another.

Please give us a call at (317) 488-1030 and we can help you find the right fit for you. We will even share our chicken pot pie recipe, although we make no guarantees that it is any good.

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Does Anybody Have a Loaner!?

August 30 in ID Card Printer, ID Cards, Printer Maintenance by admin | No Comments

Has this ever happened to you – you walk into the office with a spring in your step as you enjoy the beautiful autumn morning. Just as you are laying out your morning paper, cup of coffee and blueberry muffin, someone knocks on your door reminding you (okay, let’s be honest, telling you for the first time) that there will be 75 guests in the building tomorrow afternoon and each of them needs an ID badge.

Ignoring the grumbling in your stomach, you proceed to say “not a problem, I can get those done today.” You turn on your printer, enter the necessary information and hit print. Unfortunately, the next sound you hear is the kind of screeching that sends cats and dogs running for cover. Somehow, someway, the printer is broken. The question now is – what do you do?

The simple answer – give us a call. We maintain a variety of printers at our office precisely for this exact situation. Depending on where your offices are located, we can either deliver a loaner printer to you that day or ship you a loaner printer overnight. Either way, you will be able to print those ID badges in time for tomorrow’s afternoon meeting.

At the same time, we can also repair your broken ID printer while you use our loaner printer. This will ensure you are ready to go if any other unexpected badging jobs need to get done. This is a much better deal than going 2-3 weeks without your ID printer!

For more information, please give us a call at 317-488-1030.

Tagged , , , , ,

To Flip, or Not to Flip – That is the Question

August 15 in ID Card Printer, ID Cards, Printer Maintenance by admin | No Comments

You are sitting at your desk trying to eat that slice of pizza with extra cheese you just bought for lunch. Just as you are thinking that you wish you added pepperoni to your order, someone walks in who needs a few replacement ID cards. You are happy to help. You ask for the names, start your printer and begin printing replacement ID cards. Once the front side prints, you grab the cards and flip them over so you can print the back.

Unfortunately, now you aren’t the only one having extra cheese pizza for lunch, so is your ID printer.

ID Printers are most often times damaged by dirt, dust, debris and, even greasy pizza hands. Those things can damage your machine as well as your print head. If your machine goes down, then you may have to replace it. Of course, you might only have to replace the print head. The problem is that most print heads aren’t covered by manufacturers’ warranties if damaged due to lack of proper care and the cost of most print heads starts at nearly $500 dollars. That is one expensive piece of pizza!

So, to answer the question – Don’t Flip! You need to plan ahead and purchase a printer that does everything you need it to do. Your printer will last longer and you will save money in the long run. Please give us a call to learn more about the ID printer options available. You can reach us at (317) 488-1030.

Tagged , , ,

To Laminate or Not Laminate

August 8 in Educational Identification, ID Cards, Security by admin | No Comments

Customers ask us occasionally – do I need to laminate my ID card? The answer – it depends. You see, the lamination process does provide several benefits:

  1. It does extend the life of your card.
  2. It gives a more finished look to your ID card.
  3. It does make your ID card more tamper resistant.

The lamination process is pretty simple. In essence, an additional layer is applied to your ID card once it has been printed. However, not every ID printer is capable of laminating an ID card. So, you need to think about whether or not you might want to have that capability in the future. We can help you figure out whether lamination is necessary for your business. And, if you still aren’t sure, we can always suggest a few printers that can be ungraded in the future. Please give us a call at (317) 488-1030.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Make your facility more secure with Proximity Cards

August 3 in ID Cards, Security by admin | No Comments

We are always being asked how customers can make their facilities more secure. One way to make your facility more secure is through the use of a proximity card. A proximity card, or prox card as they are sometimes referred to, allows a company to make a building or an area of the building accessible by authorized personnel only. Proximity readers are installed in the building or area at issue and the appropriate personnel are given proximity cards to access that facility. The personnel need to place the card near the reader in order to gain access.

It is important to remember that proximity cards can also be used for other functions, such as accessing your network. You, as the customer, just need to decide what other functions you would like your proximity cards to serve. You might be surprised that this security solution can also serve as a means to make your personnel more efficient.

If you have any questions about the use of proximity cards, please give us a call at (317) 488-1030.

Tagged , , , ,

My Printer Ribbon Keeps Breaking

July 28 in Printer Maintenance by admin | No Comments

You wouldn’t believe how many calls we get from customers telling us their card printer ribbons are broken. It is a very common problem. However, remember, don’t throw out those ribbons. Broken ribbons can usually still be used by taping them back together.

Once you’ve taped them back together, remember to keep in mind a few helpful steps to make it less likely those printer ribbons will break in the future.

Number 1: Clean Your Card Printer

Clean your printer regularly. The majority of printers should be cleaned each time after you change your ribbon. If you need a Card Printer Cleaning Kit, please give us a call. We have kits available for all printer models. Also, once you clean your printer, but before you install a new ribbon, remember to calibrate the ribbon sensor, provided that applies to your printer. Each printer has an instructional manual to show you how to clean and calibrate your particular model. However, if you have questions, please give us a call.

Number 2: Review Your Card Template

It is important to keep in mind that only retransfer printers can print to the edge of an ID card. However, please remember, you don’t want to print too close to the edge of any card when using your direct to card printer. Printing too close to the edge can result in your ribbon breaking. As a result, be sure to check the card design you are using with your ID software program to make sure the margins are set to print within the card boundaries. You may even have to increase the size of the unprinted borders.

Number 3: Go Back to Your Default Settings

Sometimes, printer users want to use as much as ink as possible to create very rich colors. The problem with changing your settings is that it can cause the ribbon to overheat. Overheated ribbons tend to break. As a result, go back to your default settings. That should prevent future breaks.

If you have any questions about the above, or you are continuing to have issues with ribbon breaks, give us a call at (317) 488-1030.

Tagged , , ,

Questions to Ask When Buying an ID Card Printer

July 26 in ID Card Printer, ID Cards, Printer Maintenance by admin | No Comments

A lot of times when we receive a customer call asking about purchasing a new ID card printer, the first question we hear is:

How much will it cost?

We totally understand. Everyone is trying to make a dollar go farther these days, and so cost is definitely a factor to consider.

And, sometimes, the least expensive ID card printer will be perfectly fine to meet your needs. However, if cost is the only question you ask, you might not pick the printer that best meets your needs. When that happens, you might have to buy more parts, or worse yet, buy a whole new printer to meet your needs. Suddenly, that “cheap” printer can become a pretty expensive purchase.

So, when the time comes to purchase that new ID card printer, definitely ask about cost, but also consider these questions:

  1. Do you need to only print on one side of the card, or on both sides?
  2. What kind of card are you trying to make – is it an employee card? A gift card? A membership card?
  3. What do you want the card to look like – do you want to just print black? Do you want a lot of colors? Will something be imbedded in the cards?
  4. Do you want your ID cards to work with your time clock or door access system?
  5. Do you really need to be able to make a card at a moment’s notice?
  6. Will the printer be dedicated to a single work station, or will multiple computers be connected to the ID card printer?
  7. How big a problem is it if your ID card printer is down for a week, two weeks or for even more time?

If you would like some help answering these questions, or want to learn more about a particular ID card printer, give us a call. You can reach us at (317) 488-1030.

Tagged , , , ,

The School Year is Just Around the Corner!

July 20 in Educational Identification, ID Cards, Security by admin | No Comments

The month of July is almost over, and we all know what that means, the school year is just around the corner!  Schools, colleges and universities soon will be preparing for the new school year.  Part of that preparation includes, issuing student, faculty and staff ID badges.  As you prepare to print those badges, remember badges aren’t just for identification anymore.  ID badges can be used for any of the purposes listed below.

Access

ID badges can be used to enable students to access computers and other appropriate school technology.  They can also be used to control access to specific areas of the school or campus for student use.

Information Management

ID badges can store student information, such as emergency contact information, allergies and medications.  They can track attendance at school events.  The badges can also manage the library book checkout process.

Security

ID badges can be designed to enhance security at your school.  A color-coding system can be incorporated into your badges to easily distinguish between students, faculty and staff.  For example, students could be given cards with green backgrounds, faculty members could receive cards with blue backgrounds and staff members could receive cards with black backgrounds.  You can also create visitor badges that look different from your other badges so they are easily identified.  In addition, you could consider more advanced visual techniques such as overlaminates and holographic foils that are either applied to your cards or embedded into them.

Payment

ID badges can allow students to use a pre-paid debit card for food service and vending machine purchases.

If you would like to learn more about how your school can use your current ID cards or how to enhance your cards, please call ASAP at (317) 488-1030.

Tagged , , , , , , ,