ID Security for K-12 Schools
What was once only contemplated for colleges and universities, badging identification for students has now become more commonplace in this country’s elementary, middle, and high schools. While some solutions within the lower schools may not be as technologically advanced as universities where an entire debit/credit system attaches to the ID, the practice still has some very useful applications.
Safety
The tragic incidents at schools like Sandy Hook elementary School and Columbine High School remind us of how important securing our schools can be. Identification of students allows for easier and quicker accounting of the whereabouts of our precious children. K-12 schools have been using a combination of id card badge and printing and a tracking software to track where children are and set up mustering points for evacuation. Zebra ZXP Series 3 printers provide multiple options for printing and encoding and work nicely for many schools with a hundreds of students. Scan Station by Jolly technologies allows for checking in and out at various stations to continually track where students are. While you can never predict when tragedy will occur, having the right process in place can help eliminate the uncertainties.
Efficiency
ID cards can also improve efficiencies within the schools. Knowing traffic flows and usage at specific points around the campus can help schools understand where resources or infrastructure need to be added. Zebra ID Cards can simply be swiped or scanned at various locations to understand activity levels at each locations. In a more complicated environment, the Zebra ZXP Series 7 offers RFID printing capabilities to track students in real time. Quick action can be taken when activity exceeds capacity in a given area, and it allows administrators to jump in before any issues arise.
ID badging of students can safe time, energy and in some cases lives. Zebra and BarcodesInc have the right ID card solution for any size school or campus. Give us a call to discuss what options are right for you.
Finding the Right Zebra ID Card Printer
As the leading ID Card Printer manufacturer, Zebra provides a wide selection of printers to choose from to meet the needs of any application.
The ZXP series of printers come in options for the most basic static card printing to high-volume secure government issuance. Knowing exactly which printer is the best fit for your needs can be a challenge when just looking at specs and brochures. To make the process easier we have this simple chart to help narrow down what model printer has the key features your specific application with require.
| ZXP Series 8 |
ZXP Series 7 | ZXP Series 3 | ZXP Series 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card Volume | ||||
| Low-Volume | X | X | ||
| Mid-Volume | X | X | X | |
| High-Volume | X | X | ||
| Identification | ||||
| Membership | X | X | X | |
| Photo ID | X | X | X | |
| Employee Badge | X | X | X | X |
| Corporate ID | X | X | X | |
| National ID | X | X | ||
| Drivers License | X | |||
| Card Types | ||||
| Non-Technology Card | X | X | X | X |
| Technology Card | X | X | X | |
| Issuance Type | ||||
| Secure Issuance | X | X | ||
| Batch Issuance | X | X | X | |
| Instant Issuance | X | X | ||
For additional assistance finding the right printer for your needs, contact us at Barcodes Inc.
Zebra’s ZXP Series 1 and Series 3 New Driver Enhancements
As a leader in card printing technologies, Zebra is always raising the bar in printer performance and capabilities.
The newly announced update to the ZXP Series 1 and ZXP Series 3 printers includes the Zebra Windows Driver Version 5.01, a new unified driver supporting both printer models. It provides Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 OS support with an expanded common matrix of Microsoft client server printer sharing support. The new driver will also provide white monochrome ribbon support for the ZXP Series 1. Driver Version 5.01 is posted on www.zebra.com for download.
For any assistance on or to order a ZXP Series printer, contact us at Barcodes Inc.
Encoding Magnetic Stripe Cards
Encoding a magnetic stripe on your card is a quick and easy way to increase the security of your card, track individuals entry or exit, or serve as an avenue to track usage of products or services. With the advancement in technology, printing cards with magnetic stripes can be done with the use of the right card printer and magnetic stripe ID cards.
In order to encode the magnetic stripe on the card, your printer has to be equipped with a magnetic stripe encoder. Most card printer models provide the option to purchase the printer with the magnetic stripe encoding enabled. For example, Datacard’s SD260, Fargo’s DTC4000 and Zebra’s ZXP Series 3 printers all come with a variety of part numbers which have the ability to encode the cards. Other factors such as volume and interface would help narrow your options to find the right printer for the job.
Finding a printer with the correct encoding technology is one step, the second is having the proper cards. Blank ID cards with magnetic stripes are very common with all manufacturers. The only variable you will have to determine is whether a high coercivity (HiCo) or low coercivity (LoCo) card is right for the solution.
- High-coercivity magstripes are harder to erase, and therefore are appropriate for cards that are frequently used or that need to have a long life. High coercivity stripes are typically black and resistant to damage from most magnets likely to be owned by consumers
- Low-coercivity magstripes require a lower amount of magnetic energy to record. Low coercivity stripes are easily damaged by even a brief contact with a magnetic purse strap or fastener.
