All Evolis Printers
Have Questions about Evolis ID Card Printers? We Have Answers!
What are the Main Features Available in Evolis Printers?
Ease-of-use, flexibility, and competitive pricing has helped Evolis emerge as a leader in plastic card personalization systems.
- Zenius - The Zenius offers single-sided card printing and batch printing modes. The Zenius Expert edition offers built-in Ethernet and encoding options.
- Primacy - The Primacy offers single- or dual-sided printing and built-in Ethernet and USB connections. Plus, it can be upgraded to dual-sided printing and/or encoding - any time!
- Securion - High volume, high security applications will appreciate the built-in lamination, lockable consumables, and password protection found in the dual-sided Evolis Securion printer.
- Avansia - The latest addition to the Evolis card printer line-up, the Avansia offers vibrant, flexible printing in a dual-sided printer. Avansia comes standard with both Ethernet and USB, and offers encoding options.
- Quantum 2 - Designed for high performance, the Evolis Quantum 2 features high-volume 500 card input and output hoppers and a number of encoding options.
- Tattoo 2 Rewrite - The Tattoo 2 Rewrite is designed for frequently reprinted cards, such as visitor badges.
What's the Difference Between a Single-Sided and a Dual-Sided Evolis Printer?
Simply put, a single-sided printer prints on one side of your cards and a dual-sided printer prints on both sides of your cards in one process. Choose a single-sided Evolis printer if you will be creating ID cards with limited cardholder information. Choose a dual-sided Evolis printer if you want the front of your cards to remain clean and uncluttered; printing some of your card-holder info on the back of your cards will keep the front of your cards looking their best!
Many customers ask if it is possible to print on both sides of the card with a single-sided printer by manually flipping the cards and sending them back through the printer. While technically it is possible, it's not recommended. Printing on both sides of the card with a single-sided printer will expose the printhead to dust, debris, and oil from your fingertips, which can cause expensive printhead damage. Plus, damage to a printhead from non-standard use will void warranty coverage, costing you more in the long run.
Why Would I Need to Laminate my Plastic Cards?
If you recall the old days of cutting and pasting an ID card together, lamination may confuse you a bit. You might wonder why you would need lamination when printing directly to plastic. In plastic card printing, lamination is a clear protective layer that is applied over the top of your printed cards by a printer with lamination capability. Primarily this is used to extend the life of your cards (the additional layer adds protection from physical wear, rubbing, etc as well as fading from the sun) and to increase security. The additional layer makes it more difficult to tamper with cards, and when coupled with holographic laminates, makes cards almost impossible to duplicate.
What is a Retransfer Printer?
Many experienced card printer users are familiar with the white border that direct-to-card printers leave around the edge of cards. Retransfer printers, on the other hand, produce "over-the-edge" prints that cover the entire surface of your cards. Direct-to-card printers print directly to the surface of cards. Any uneven surface of a card--including coming in contact with the edge of a card--can cause expensive printhead damage. Retransfer printers, like the Evolis Avansia, print your card image to a clear retransfer film that is then fused onto the surface of the card. With this process, the printhead does not come in direct contact with your card, allowing you to print over the edge of your cards and to a wider variety of card surfaces including proximity cards, smart cards, pre-punched cards and key tag cards. Another benefit: retransfer printers produce imagery with rich, vibrant, saturated colors.