Plastic Card Printer Buyer's Guide

How to Choose the Right ID Card Printer

Zebra plastic card printers provide businesses and organisations with a straightforward way to produce professional plastic ID cards, employee badges, membership cards, visitor passes and access-control cards in-house.

But which Zebra card printer do you need? Should you choose single-sided or dual-sided printing? Do your cards need encoding? And what type of ribbon will you need?

This guide explains the main things to consider when choosing a Zebra plastic card printer.

How Do Zebra Plastic Card Printers Work?

Zebra card printers use dye-sublimation and thermal transfer printing technology to produce text, photographs, graphics and other information on compatible plastic cards.

For full-colour cards, dye-sublimation technology transfers colour from the printer ribbon onto the card using heat. This produces the smooth colour gradients required for photographs, logos and professional ID card designs.

Thermal transfer is used for elements such as monochrome text, barcodes and other solid printed areas.

This combination makes Zebra card printers suitable for producing professional cards containing photographs, company branding, identification information and machine-readable elements such as barcodes.

What Can You Print with a Zebra Card Printer?

Zebra plastic card printers can be used for a wide range of identification and card-printing applications, including:

Employee ID cards
Staff badges
Visitor passes
Membership cards
Loyalty cards
Student ID cards
Access-control cards
Event and accreditation passes
Photo identification cards

Printing cards in-house allows organisations to issue new and replacement cards when required rather than outsourcing card production.

Single-Sided vs Dual-Sided Zebra Card Printers

One of the main choices when selecting a Zebra card printer is whether you need single-sided or dual-sided printing.

Single-Sided Card Printing

A single-sided Zebra card printer prints on one side of the card during the printing process.

This can be ideal for straightforward employee ID cards and badges where everything required — such as the employee's photograph, name, job title, company logo and ID number — can be displayed on the front.

Dual-Sided Card Printing

A dual-sided Zebra card printer automatically prints on both sides of the card.

This gives you additional space for information such as:

Company contact details
Terms and conditions
Emergency information
Barcodes
Instructions
Expiry information
Additional identification details

If you regularly need information on both sides, choosing an automatic dual-sided model can make card production considerably easier.

Colour vs Monochrome Card Printing

Most organisations producing photographic ID cards will require full-colour printing.

Zebra colour ribbons use dye-sublimation technology to reproduce photographs, logos, graphics and other colour elements on compatible plastic cards.

For simpler applications, monochrome thermal transfer ribbons can be used for elements such as:

Names
Numbers
Barcodes
Dates
Text
Simple graphics

Monochrome printing can also be useful when you're using pre-printed cards and only need the Zebra printer to add variable information.

Understanding Zebra Card Printer Ribbons

The ribbon you need depends on the printer model and the type of card you're producing.

For standard full-colour ID cards, you'll commonly encounter multi-panel colour ribbons designed to produce colour images alongside black text and other elements.

Monochrome ribbons are available when only a single colour is required.

When buying replacement ribbons, always check compatibility with your exact Zebra card printer model. Ribbon yields also vary, so consider the approximate number of cards you expect to print when comparing consumable costs.

Zebra Card Printers with Encoding

Some Zebra plastic card printer configurations can do more than simply print information onto a card.

Depending on the model and configuration, card encoding options may be available that allow compatible cards to store electronic information.

This can be particularly useful where the same card is used for both visual identification and systems such as building access.

Encoding options can include technologies such as:

Magnetic Stripe Encoding

Magnetic stripe cards contain a magnetic strip capable of storing information.

A Zebra card printer equipped with the appropriate magnetic stripe encoder can encode compatible cards as part of the card-production process.

Contact Smart Cards

Contact smart cards contain an embedded chip that communicates through physical electrical contacts.

Compatible Zebra printer configurations can support smart-card applications where electronic information needs to be encoded alongside the printed card design.

Contactless Smart Cards

Contactless smart cards communicate with compatible readers without the card needing to be physically inserted.

They're commonly used for applications such as:

Building access
Employee identification
Secure authentication
Membership systems
Cashless applications

If your cards require encoding, check the exact Zebra printer part number and configuration before ordering. Different versions of the same printer family can have different encoding capabilities.

How Many Plastic Cards Will You Print?

Print volume should be considered when choosing a Zebra card printer.

A small business producing occasional staff ID cards has very different requirements from a university, healthcare organisation or large employer producing hundreds of cards.

Consider:

How many cards you'll print each day
How often you'll print cards
Whether cards are produced individually or in batches
Required printing speed
Card input and output capacity
Whether multiple users need access to the printer

It's worth allowing for future requirements as well as your current printing volume.

Check Your Plastic Cards

Before ordering a printer, make sure the cards you intend to use are compatible with the Zebra model you're considering.

Check factors including:

Card dimensions
Card thickness
Card material
Magnetic stripe requirements
Smart-card technology
Contactless technology

This is particularly important if you're integrating the printer with an existing access-control or identification system.

Don't Forget the Running Costs

When comparing Zebra plastic card printers, don't look only at the initial purchase price.

You'll also need to consider:

Colour ribbons
Monochrome ribbons
Cleaning supplies
Replacement cards
Approximate ribbon yield
Cost per printed card

For organisations producing large numbers of cards, consumable costs can make a significant difference to the total cost of ownership.

Which Zebra Card Printer Should I Choose?

Before choosing your Zebra card printer, answer these questions:

What are you printing?
Employee ID cards, access cards, membership cards, visitor badges or something else?

How many cards will you print?
Occasional individual cards or regular batches?

Do you need single or dual-sided printing?
Consider how much information needs to appear on each card.

Do you need colour photographs and branding?
If so, you'll require the appropriate full-colour ribbon.

Do your cards need encoding?
Check whether magnetic stripe, contact or contactless smart-card functionality is required.

What cards are you currently using?
Make sure they're compatible with your chosen printer and encoder.

How will the printer connect?
Check the USB, Ethernet and other connectivity options available on the specific model.

Why Choose a Zebra Plastic Card Printer?

Zebra is an established manufacturer of identification and automatic data capture technology, with card printers designed for applications ranging from everyday employee ID card production to more advanced credential and access-control requirements.

Choosing the right model and configuration is important, particularly when you require dual-sided printing or card encoding.

Rather than comparing Zebra card printers purely on purchase price, consider the expected print volume, card type, required features and ongoing cost of ribbons and consumables.

Zebra Card Printer Comparison

Model / SKU	Sides	Resolution	Colour speed	Connectivity	Magnetic stripe	Best for
ZC100 – ZC11-0000000EM00	Single	300 dpi	150 cards/hr	USB	No	Entry-level ID card printing
ZC300 – ZC31-000C000EM00	Single	300 dpi	200 cards/hr	USB + Ethernet	No	Faster single-sided business ID printing
ZC300 – ZC31-000CQ00EM00	Single	300 dpi	200 cards/hr	USB + Ethernet	No	Single-sided ZC300 variant
ZC300 – ZC32-000C000EM00	Dual	300 dpi	200 cards/hr	USB + Ethernet	No	Double-sided ID and membership cards
ZC300 – ZC32-000CQ00EM00	Dual	300 dpi	200 cards/hr	USB + Ethernet + Wi-Fi	No	Dual-sided printing with wireless connectivity
ZC300 – ZC32-0M0C000EM00	Dual	300 dpi	200 cards/hr	USB + Ethernet	Yes	ID/access cards requiring magnetic-stripe encoding

Need Help Choosing a Zebra Card Printer?

Not sure which Zebra plastic card printer or configuration you need?

Tell Tek Direkt what you're printing, approximately how many cards you produce, whether you need single or dual-sided printing and whether your cards require encoding.

We'll help you identify the most suitable Zebra card printer for your requirements.