You have made the decision to make identification cards in house. It is becoming common for businesses and organizations to take control of the ID card printing needs and obtain an identification card system. Due to technological advances and better pricing for the systems, the purchase of a system is prudent and provides a company with complete control over their card printing needs.
There are a number of different ID card software packages available for designing ID cards. Many packages contain a large database availability to maintain a listing of the cards printed and to enable reprints as needed.
When selecting the software, it is important to have a handle on the answers to the questions below for best software analysis.
1. Will you need to print on both sides of the card or is a single side print sufficient? Single side card design and printing is a much simpler process than the printing of a dual sided card. If a dual sided print is needed, begin the research by looking at software that will accommodate the design and printing of two sides of the card.
2. Do you need a database to save the card holder information? If there are only a few people in your organization and it would not be difficult to type in information each time a new badge or a reprinted badge is needed, a database may not be necessary and entry level software may be adequate. Large organizations often want to print reports of the cards printed, need to easily reprint cards and may have specialized uses for the information in the database. Advanced ID card software is critical for these needs. Some larger organizations also wish to share the database on a network. Special versions of software also accommodate these needs.
3. Do you need to encode the card? If the card has a magnetic stripe, it can be filled with cardholder information that may be needed for various applications. Most software is able to encode a magnetic stripe as also as the printer also has a module to actually encode the card. Other newer encoding options include the smart card. Software will need to be able to provide the detailed information to encode the card if you intend for the printer to encode a smart card as it passes through for the print job. Special care needs to be made to ensure that both printer and software are capable of performing the specific encoding needed.
Some of the better known, quality software developers in the market include Asure ID, Card Five and software by Jolly. All of these manufacturers have various versions of their software. Some versions are entry level and provide basic ID badge making options. Other versions are robust and provide high level output for card printing requirements.
Most all quality software manufacturers provide a 30 day trial of their basic software package. This allows potential customers to explore the look and feel of the software to ensure that it is the correct package prior to making a software purchase decision.