ID Card Printers

Unicard has been in operation for over 35 years, with decades of experience we have gained a trusted name in the card printing industry.

With knowledgeable sales staff and manufacturer certified technicians in each state around Australia, we offer an unrivalled level of service and support.

An ID card printer is a specialty printer that accepts PVC plastic cards in the CR80 size (54mmx86mm). The printer will use a dye-sublimation method to lay down a coloured or resin ribbon to the card in a crisp and durable finish.

ID cards are used for identification or access purposes in many industries ranging from education, government, gaming, corporate and many more.

ID card printers will work in one of two ways. These two different methods are known as DTC ‘Direct to Card’ or Re-transfer. Both printing methods use what is known as a ribbon (which is your ink) to print the colour / black to the card.

Both of these methods have their pros and cons and Unicard can assist you in deciding which best suits your requirements.

Direct to card printing is the most popular option for card printing given the print quality is crisp, the printers are fast, and the printers and their consumables are cost effective. The slight con with the Direct to card printers is the slight <1mm edge you may get around the edge of the card given the printhead must lift off the card before the edge. This is known as ‘edge to edge’ printing. In most scenarios this is hardly noticeable or an acceptable level of quality.

High-definition re-transfer printers use both a ribbon and a film. The ribbon is printed to the film and then the film is laminated to the card using a hot transfer roller.

By using a transfer film, the finished cards will have a higher quality gloss finish which leaves a more professional feel. The printing is known as ‘over the edge’ as it does not leave any borders around the edge of the card. Another reason a customer might choose to use a retransfer printer is to print directly on to access cards and the print not be blemished where the chip is located in the card.

There a many more benefit of printing with a retransfer printer however it is important to know that the initial printer purchase and ongoing consumables are more expensive than a DTC option.

All of the card printers Unicard sell, and support are backed by the best manufacturers around the world with normally 2 or 3 year warranty.
The best ID card printer for you may be completely different to someone else, this largely depends on your individual requirements.

Re-transfer printers are known to have better print quality and finish when compared to Direct to Card printers however you may prioritise speed over quality and therefore Direct to card printers might be much better suited. Contact Unicard today to discuss your requirements with our friendly staff to work out which ID card printer is best for you!

All cards used with ID card printers are CR80 PVC cards. There are many different types of cards used with ID printers, each with their own unique purpose. The most common card is a simple blank white PVC card which is printable on both sides with any card printer we sell for visual identification purposes.

Cards can also have an embedded chip for access, a magnetic stripe for rewards systems or a peel off adhesive backing to stick to another card.

Contact Unicard today for assistance on picking the best card for you.

All new card printers come with manufacturer warranty. Unicard will service the machine and replace parts at nil cost within the warranty period.

After that, our service and support does not go away!

Once the warranty has lapsed, Unicard’s certified technicians will continue to service and support your card printer through on site, back to base and remote services.

As the main importer and distributor for multiple ID card printer brands, Unicard keep majority of the models we sell, on the shelf and ready to send out daily.

This means that customers are receiving their orders the next day in some areas.

Unicard aim to dispatch orders placed before 2pm on the same day!

Depending on the delivery location and courier service used, the delivery time generally varies from 1-5 days.

Should you need your card printer in a rush, speak to our friendly team to discuss express freight options.

By understanding the requirements or end goal of what you and your company are trying to achieve, Unicard can assist you in picking the right printer and consumables to get you there.

Contact Unicard today for advice and a quick and easy quote on the exact requirements to suit you!

ID Card printers come in both single sided and dual sided configurations.

If you need to print on both sides of the card, a dual sided printer is your best option given it will flip the card for you and print the other side all in the one click of a button.

However, should you have a single sided printer, you can print one side and then manually turn the card over for the second side to be printed.

Given the manual input involved with this, it is only recommended when producing a very low number of cards.

Another great way of producing dual sided cards without purchasing a dual sided printer is to bulk print the rear of the cards with the same design / details through the

Unicard pre-printed cards option or through your own desktop card printer. Customers can then just print the fronts as required.

Speak to our friendly team today to discuss how we can help you achieve the dual sided card you want for your business.