Implementing a new gift or loyalty card program can have significant material benefits to your business. Businesses have reported that gift cards deliver increased revenues, increased margins, interest from unredeemed balances, increased potential for future sales and a decrease in returned merchandise. Customers feel an attachment to the brand, which results in increased retention

Gift card offer the following benefits

Revenue increases. Uplift, or the amount that a customer spends over the amount of the gift card, averaged $23 for each card sold in 2008. Also, gift cards attract new customers, with 11% of recipients indicating that they never or rarely visit the issuing merchant’s locations

Continue reading »

Zebra is one of the leading manufacturers of ID card printing solutions that can meet the needs of any environment from low volume, print only to high security, high volume applications. Their printers offer options for color or monochromatic, single or dual-sided printing, and even lamination options for the highest quality cards possible. Zebra’s printers also offer a full range of encoding features for magnetic stripe, smartcard, MIFARE, and RFID to ensure your cards are secure and reliable to meet the most demanding access control and government requirements.

With so many capabilities and options available, it can be a challenge to find which Zebra ID card printer is the best fit for your specific needs. The feature chart below quickly and easily breaks down each of the four main models currently available from Zebra by their key attributes. For further assistance selecting the right ID card printer, contact us at Barcodes, Inc.

Model	ZXP Series 8	ZXP Series 7	ZXP Series 3	ZXP Series 1
Print Method	Retransfer card printer	Direct-to-card printer	Direct-to-card printer	Direct-to-card printer
Print Sides	Single or dual-sided color and mono-to-retransfer film	Single or dual-sided color and monochrome	Single or dual-sided color and monochrome	Single or dual-sided color and monochrome
Print Speed	Single-sided: Color: 190 CPHDouble-sided: Color: 180 CPH	Single-sided: Color: 300 CPH Mono: 1,375 CPHDouble-sided: Color: 225 CPH	Single-sided: Color: 195 CPH Mono: 700 CPHDouble-sided: Color: 140 CPH	Single-sided: Color: 130 CPH Mono: 545 CPH
Images per Ribbon	Color (YMCKO): 625 Mono (Black): 2,500	Color (YMCKO): 750 Mono (Black): 5,000	Color (YMCKO): 280 Mono (Black): 2,000	Color (YMCKO): 100 Mono (Black): 1,000
Security	High security	High security	Locking features	None
Interfaces	Standard: USB, Ethernet Optional: Wi-Fi (802.11)	Standard: USB, Ethernet Optional: W-Fi (802.11)	Standard: USB Optional: Ethernet	Standard: USB Optional: Ethernet
Edge-to-Edge Printing	Over-the-edge	Yes	Yes	Yes
UHF Gen 2 RFID	N/A	Yes	N/A	N/A
Magnetic Stripe	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Smart-card Contact	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
MIFARE Contactless	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
Smart-card Contact Station	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
Card Thicknesses	30-40 mil, 30 mil laminated	10-50 mil, 30 mil laminated	10-40 mil	10-40 mil
Input Feeder Capacity	150 cards	200 cards	100 cards	100 cards
Output Hopper Capacity	100 cards	100 cards	Integrated Hopper: 45 Cards External Hopper: 50 cards	Integrated Hopper: 45 Cards
Laminator	Yes	Yes	N/A	N/A

Looking for the perfect way to accessorize your look over the holidays? Or simply looking for a fashionable way to hold you New Year’s Eve party credentials. Barcodes Inc has the solution for you.

Shop our large selection of lanyards to find the perfect fit. We have hundreds of lanyards of different styles, sizes and lengths. We even can customize the look for all your special occasions – including New Year’s!

So Bling in the New Year’s with lanyards from Barcodes Inc

Holograms are a great feature to have on an ID card to help prevent fraud and improve the security of your card issuance.  Many times, to incorporate a hologram you would need a laminating printer like the DTC4500 and a special laminate that has embedded holograms.  If you don’t have a laminating printer though, there is still an option to create cards with holograms.

Fargo offers a variety of ID cards that have holograms already embedded in the card itself.  Their VeriMark and Holomark cards come with hologram options in 8 different possible positions on the card.  Using a non-laminating printer like the DTC1000, all you need to do is make sure you print design doesn’t cover  the location of the hologram.

Continue reading »

Having a professional looking identification card with crisp images and no blemishes is must-have in today’s corporate and university environments. Card Printers certainly play a part in the process, but taking care of your blank ID card stock should be a priority. Improperly handling cards before printing can create flaws in your card stock that will be reflected or even magnified in your printed cards. The following are a few tips to consider when handling cards:

• Environment – Cards should be kept in the air-tight, water resistant containers when not in use. Most card stocks from Zebra, Fargo, Datacard, and Evolis come in 5 x 100 card packages. It is best to only open one container at a time. Cards also should be stored in a regulated temperature environment. Extreme heat or extreme cold can make cards brittle and more susceptible to snapping.

• Handling: Oils and fingerprints from your hands can leave a residue on the card that will impact the overall print quality of the card. We recommend only touching the edge of the cards when loading and handling your ID cards. Anti-static gloves can also be worn which will reduce the residue left on cards.

• Inputting: Always inspect the stock to make sure you have received the proper cards and no identifiable blemishes exist with in the cards.

For more information about ID cards and handling, contact us at Barcodes Inc.

Security is a common concern for any organization today from school campuses to production facilities. Protecting assets and keeping individuals safe is essential in all organizations. Utilizing ID cards is an efficient and practical way to protect your business, but what really makes an ID secure?

If you where to open your wallet or purse right now you would most likely find several examples of plastic ID cards. The cards may range from a simple printed card from your local grocery store with nothing more than a basic image and barcode, to a government issued driver’s license with a full color photo, encoded information, and protective holograms!

In both of these cases, the ID is meant to accurately identify a specific person. However, one card is a lot easier to replicate while the other contains several layers of security, which greatly reduce counterfeit and forgery attempts. Features like photos, magnetic stripes, or smart card chips on an ID help improve its security and decreases the likelihood of misuse by unauthorized individuals. Incorporating these elements to your ID issuance are the most effective means to protect your employees and business.

Continue reading »