Saturday, June 1, 2013

What To Look For When Buying A Plastic Card Printing Machine

By Ladonna Chambers


A majority of businesses would prefer a plastic card printing company with a good reputation to print their cards, but others would want to do it themselves. Since most business owners are not familiar with prints, they are likely to make mistakes when buying a machine. There are several things to look for when buying the machine so as to get the best.

An important consideration to make is whether the type of prints to be done will be color or monochrome. The buyer should ask themselves whether the printer they plan on buying is capable of making prints in merely black or monochrome text.

Also would they prefer to add logos, photos or other elements of color? Monochrome printers may seem appealing since they are cheaper to buy and to print cards on them. However, they are quite limiting and if the owner wishes to print a logo or a color photos, then they would have to invest in a new machine.Since plastic printers are made to last about two years, when investing money in one it is vital to look at the big picture.

Depending on the ribbons placed in color printers, they are capable of making prints in both monochrome and color cards. By sacrificing a little more money to purchase a quality color printer, a business can print any card they want by changing the ribbon. By adding professional details, secure images or graphics will boost the image of the business.

How the printed cards will look like is the other consideration to make. Although by the purchase time one may not have come with the artwork, it is better to how if printing will be done on both or one side. There are dual sided printers called Duplex printers and single sided ones referred to as Simplex printers. For those planning to print cards on just one side for sometime, a good single sided machine would be ideal. Those who want to print on both sides are spoilt for choice, as both printer types suits them.

The projected volume is the other factor to consider. Not all machines are designed in a similar manner, as there are different types for every volume. Some printers, especially the cute or gimmicky ones are made for low volume short-term projects. On average, they are difficult to get spare parts for and expensive to repair, while the cost per card is much higher.

Mid range printers are great machines worthy of consideration. Their printing costs are affordable for small-scale projects and durable enough to last long. For printing large volumes, there are better designs of printers which come with cost cutting benefits the likes of lifetime print head warranties.

How durable the cards are required to be is another consideration. Depending on their use, plastic cards can wear out. For instance, a card swiped each day can wear out faster than VIC cards staying in a wallet. A plastic card printing machine that can add overlays or lamination to them during the printing process for protection is recommended, to increase their durability.




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