When is the Best Time to Trade in Your Card Printer?

There are several different reasons why one might consider upgrading their ID card printer or trading in their old machine. While some of the reasons may seem obvious, others may not be quite that clear.

That's where our years of experience and expertise come in! As seasoned ID Experts, we'd like to offer some helpful recommendations to guide you in making your decision. If your ID card printer:

• Is experiencing problems or is continually breaking down.
  This is one of the most common phone calls we field from our customers. It’s truly a situation that needs to be addressed by one of our ID Experts or a Tech Support Team technician. We'll help you determine whether it’s more cost effective to repair or if it's time to trade it in and buy something brand new. Continual repairs to an outdated printer can add up fast…not to mention downtime for your card production.
• Has been discontinued by the manufacturer.
  All printer manufacturers eventually replace old models with more innovative and up-to-date printer models. While they will continue producing consumables for the old machines (e.g., ribbons, cleaning kits, laminate, etc.), they will eventually stop creating firmware/driver updates for the printer. This is a very opportune time to look at trading in your old machine and getting some money back for your original printer investment.
• No longer meets your printing and/or business needs.
  While we all hope to see into the future, oftentimes a business outgrows its printer. The good news is that a number of printers – such as the Fargo DTC4500e printer, Fargo HDP5600XE, and IDP Smart-51 printers – are field-upgradeable.
  This means that you can easily upgrade your machine as your needs change; for example, upgrading to dual-sided printing or encoding capabilities. However, many older printer models do not offer field-upgradeable features or functions, and they require you to purchase a new model and trade in your old one.
• Is no longer compatible with your current operating system.
  Unfortunately, the majority of older ID card printers will not have current drivers/firmware updates for the most up-to-date operating systems. As a result, you’ll either need to run your ID system on an old PC (which poses security threats for your office or business) or look into trading in that old machine and upgrading to a printer that is compatible with your current operating system.

If your ID card printer has seen better days, be sure to check out our valuable trade-in offers! Save BIG and take advantage of faster print speeds plus better quality! Learn more>>

If you're not sure if you're in a position to upgrade or you just have questions about trading in your current ID card printer, you can trust the ID Experts at ID Zone will be there to help you. Call us today at (800) 910-5987.