There are four realistic ways to produce a batch of ID cards, and they differ far more in durability and logistics than in how the card looks. Choosing badly usually shows up six months later, when half the cards have delaminated or the printer’s ribbon has run out mid-batch.
The four options
1. Print on card stock and laminate
A normal office printer, a laminating pouch and a guillotine. For a handful of cards, nothing else comes close on convenience.
- Good for: events, short contracts, volunteer badges, tests and one-offs.
- Lifespan: months when carried daily, longer if kept in a holder.
- Weak points: water on an unsealed inkjet print, corners that lift, and a wide variance in how well the laminate seals.
- Do not use for: anything that has to open a door or last years.
2. A dedicated PVC card printer
A card printer with blank PVC stock and a colour ribbon, usually dye-sublimation. This is the standard in-house method for a permanent workforce.
- Good for: 20 to a few thousand cards a year, consistently.
- Lifespan: years. The card is a solid piece of plastic, not a print behind film.
- Weak points: the hardware costs real money, ribbons and blanks are consumables with a known cost per card, and the machine needs occasional cleaning or prints come out streaked.
- Bonus: the same printer can usually encode a proximity chip, which is the reason many organisations buy one.
3. Outsource to a card bureau
You send a print-ready file — and, for personalisation, the data — and receive finished cards.
- Good for: large batches, high-quality needs, or when no one wants to own a printer.
- Lifespan: best in class, including PVC, composite and premium finishes.
- Weak points: lead time, a minimum order that is usually larger than a small team needs, and the fact that you are sending staff photos and details to a third party. That last one is a data protection consideration, not a logistics one, and it needs a written agreement.
4. Retail print or photo services
A copy shop or photo counter that will print onto card. Convenient on a high street, and a reasonable fallback when a card is needed today.
- Good for: single replacements and emergencies.
- Weak points: your file is printed by a person who is not invested in the result; sizing and colour are often not what you specified; the stock is usually paper, so it still needs protecting.
Comparing them on what actually matters
| Method | Durability | Best batch size | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Print and laminate | Months | 1–50 | Varies with who does it |
| PVC card printer | Years | 20–2,000+/year | High |
| Card bureau | Years | 100+ | Highest |
| Retail print shop | Weeks to months | 1–10 | Low |
Data handling is the column that is missing from that table, and it cuts across all four methods: the first two keep photos and personal details on your own equipment, while a bureau or a high-street print shop means sending them to someone else. That is a data protection question with a written answer, not a preference.
Costs move with volume, stock and the region you buy in, so compare local quotes rather than relying on any figure published online. What is worth doing is calculating the cost per card including replacements: cheap cards that get reprinted twice are often more expensive than durable ones.
Matching the method to the situation
- Under 20 cards, short life. Print and laminate. Spend the saved money on a cutting mat and a corner punch instead of hardware.
- A small permanent team. A card printer pays for itself in convenience: cards on demand, replacements the same day, no minimum order.
- Hundreds of cards, revised regularly. A printer in-house, unless nobody wants to maintain it — outsourcing a quarterly batch is a legitimate choice.
- Access control involved. Decide the technology first. Chip cards need either a card printer with an encoder or a bureau that supports the format, and that decision constrains everything else.
Inkjet or laser, if you are printing at the office
- Laser toner sits on the surface and does not run when it gets damp. It handles heavier card stock and looks sharper. Best default for cards that will be laminated.
- Inkjet gives richer colour on photo-style designs but prints that dissolve on contact with wet fingers unless the paper is coated. Only choose it for cards that will be laminated immediately, or for short-lived colourful badges.
- Never print a card on plain thin paper and expect a pouch to save it. Use at least 200 gsm card stock; the laminate holds the card flat, and a flimsy insert shows through as a wrinkle.
What to ask a supplier
- What card material is the default, and what is the minimum order?
- What file format and bleed do you need?
- Can you encode a proximity chip, and which format?
- What is the turnaround, and what happens to a batch that arrives wrong?
- How are the data and photos I send stored, and when are they deleted?
- Can I see a single physical sample before committing to the batch?
Checklist
- Method chosen from expected volume and required lifespan, not from habit.
- Cost per card calculated including replacements.
- Access control requirements settled before choosing hardware.
- Office printing done on at least 200 gsm stock, at 100% scale.
- Every card laminated edge to edge, or produced as PVC.
- Corners rounded.
- A physical sample approved before a large run.
- Supplier asked about data handling, in writing.
- Replacement route known for the day one card fails.
Producing the card
Whichever method you pick, the design output is the same: ID Card Maker on Android exports the finished card as a PNG or a PDF at print resolution, from a template sized to ID-1. From there the file goes to your office printer, a card printer, or a bureau — and the decisions above decide which of those happens next.
