Plastic card printers are becoming commonplace in many business environments. Businesses are increasing security levels and have found that plastic card printers product ID cards that provide for the safety of employees and visitors.

When selecting cards printer supplies, one thing needed on a frequent basis is a printer ribbon.

These ribbons provide the colorful customization on each card that makes the product beneficial.

It is important to know the printer brand and the specific model of printer that you have. Each printer has a specific printer ribbon for printing single sided full color, monochrome color or dual sided color front and back.

To select the correct printer ribbon for your card printer, make sure you can answer the following questions:

What is the manufacturer and the model of my ID card printer?

Is a full color or a single color used on the printed card?

Some printer ribbons have the ability to print and overlay or a laminate on the card. These are often used for highly secure cards and cards used in hard environments. Other ribbons provided for select printer models provide security features for advanced features on the card.

It is important to think about how many cards will be printed within the next year. Ribbons normally have a twelve to eighteen month shelf life. Older ribbons tend to tear more easily than newer ribbons. Purchasing the correct amount of ribbons will help to keep the system running smoothly.

Ribbons are printer model specific. Each printer has specific printer ribbons designed for that printer. There are occasions when a manufacturer of print ribbons attempts to market print ribbons that are off brand, but work with the specific printer model. When a manufacturer determines that this is occurring with their printers, they will make modifications in the printer, change the settings and upgrade the printer driver. For this reason, it is best to stick with the correct printer ribbons suggested by the manufacturer.

The printer ribbon available for ID card printers are described by using a specific set of letters. The YMC portion of a print ribbon is an abbreviation for the three panels of color that are used on each chard. The colors are yellow, magenta and cyan. The YMC ribbon can print a multitude of sharp colors by combining just the right amount of each of these colors together in a small area. The three colors can print a black color as well, but a better, sharp black color result is best provided by a K panel in the ribbon.

The standard printer ribbon in full color for a single side card print is an YMCKO. This ribbon has the three color panels, a black panel and a clear overlay that prints adheres to the printed badge. An YMCKOK print ribbon prints full color and an overlay on the front of the badge while printing a black reverse side. Other panels are available in different combinations for various card printing results.

An ID card printer combined with ID card software provides a printing option that gives your organization full control over its ID badge printing needs.

Author Bio: For more details about cards printer & id card software, please visit http://www.safecardid.com/.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: cards printer, id card software