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ID Card Software Overview
It has never been easier to design and print plastic cards. Today's ID software is easy to use, and many packages offer advanced features and connectivity.
Your ID card software is the brain of your plastic card printing system. ID software gives you complete control over the design and function of your printed plastic card. ID software allows you to define the types of data fields visible on your printed cards (e.g., name, employee ID number, images, signatures, etc.). It also allows you to control magnetic stripe and contact or contactless smart chip data encoding. Plus, some ID software packages include data field storage and reporting.
Consider Your Future Needs
Consider the upgrade path offered by the software you choose. You may not need or have the budget for a database software today, but you might next year. Two of the top three ID software brands sold and supported through ID Zone offer a one-disc solution, meaning that you can easily upgrade from one level of software within their family to another without re-creating your ID card templates or moving data between applications. (Note that over 50% of entry-level ID card software customers upgrade their software within the first 18 months.)
ID Zone knows ID software! Contact the ID Experts to help you get the maximum value out of your investment.
Determine the Features Your ID Software Will Need
Please consider the following questions regarding your ID software needs
or contact
us for a recommendation.
Do you have a brand preference?
ID Zone sells and supports the three leading card printing software brands. If you have a brand preference, we can help you select software that meets your needs within that brand.
Asure ID | CardFive
| EPI Suite
Will your cards be printed on one or two sides?
If you need to print information or graphics on the back of the card surface as well as the front, you will need to select ID software that supports 'dual-sided', or 'duplex', printing. Note that some entry-level software packages do not support duplex printing. Where applicable, we will inform you that software supports single-sided design only.
Do you need an internal database?
If you would like to retain the images or data that you are printing/encoding on your cards, you'll need software that includes an internal database. An internal database will allow you to quickly recall and reprint lost or misplaced personalized cards and will simplify any global changes that you may need to perform to your cards. Note that most entry-level software packages do not include an internal database.
Will you be connecting to an outside database (ODBC)?
If you need to share card data between the card software's internal database and an outside database, you will need to select software that has open database connectivity (ODBC). Some software packages allow for ODBC import but not export. ODBC software packages may be compatible with one or more of the following formats: Access, Excel, FoxPro, Paradox, SQL, MS SQL Server 7.0 and 2000. Ask our ID Experts which software is compatible with your needs and database infrastructure.
Will you operate the software on a network?
If you will be sharing card data or printing over a LAN or WAN, you'll need software that supports network connectivity. All three of our industry leading software providers offer master licenses which will support network connectivity via additional software licenses. Note that not all network-capable software is ODBC-compliant and vice versa.
Will you need to encode contact or contactless smart cards?
Contact smart cards have a memory chip embedded on the card surface. Contactless smart cards have a chip and antenna within the card (there is no visible chip). Certain software packages allow contact and/or contactless card encoding. Please contact our ID Experts to discuss your needs and these applications.
Is it possible that you will need to make mass changes to your cards?
If there is a chance you’ll need to make changes to large quantities of cards and don’t want to perform this function manually, you will want to choose a card software package with batch update capability. Batch updating allows you to make global changes to your ID card files in a few steps, rather than making the changes to each individual card file by hand.
Will you be printing two-dimensional (2-D) barcodes?
All card software packages allow you to print one-dimensional (1-D) or traditional barcodes in various formats. If you need to print a 2-D barcode (e.g., PDF417), you will need to select software that provides this capability specifically.
Does your application require additional card security?
There are a variety of ways to protect the authenticity of your cards. Some software programs offer additional card security using image ghosting. A ghost image is a smaller, translucent duplicate of the main image, and is printed in the regular card printing process. This is a basic level of card security that doesn't generally add to the cost of your printed card. For information on additional card security options, contact our ID Experts.
Select this Sample Cards link
for examples of ways to personalize your plastic cards.
For a no-obligation consultation about selecting the right ID software for your organization, please contact
us.
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