{"id":2699,"date":"2017-05-08T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2017-05-08T01:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/idcards.com.sg\/?p=2699"},"modified":"2018-02-13T11:28:03","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T03:28:03","slug":"basics-part-2-types-of-printing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/barcode.com.sg\/basics-part-2-types-of-printing\/","title":{"rendered":"Basics – Part 2 – Types of Printing"},"content":{"rendered":"

LET\u2019S GET BACK TO THE BASICS\u00a0\u2013 PART\u00a02<\/strong><\/h3>\n

THERMAL PRINTING\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Like all other computer-based printers in the office, today\u2019s photo ID printers are digital. Resolutions of 300 dots per inch (dpi) or more are common in office printers, so the problem of jagged edges is largely a thing of the past. Most photo IDs are printed by digital thermal transfer, a process by which color is transferred from a single-use ribbon to various kinds of receptor materials.<\/p>\n

DYE SUBLIMATION PRINTING<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The variable size and density of each color dot is the secret to the photo-quality printing possible with dye\u00a0sublimation\u2014bright colors and no jagged edges. YMC dyes penetrate the receptor. Color migrates from the dye ribbon into the surface. The spread of the dye dot (its amount of diffusion) depends on the amount of heat applied by the printhead element. On reaching a dye panel boundary, the printhead is lifted to allow the card\u00a0to back up. The head then lowers to print the next color. Yellow, magenta and cyan are combined in varying proportions to print photo-quality images. When \u201cfully saturated\u201d, the three colors together print \u201cprocess black\u201d text and graphics, which is similar in appearance to \u201cblack resin printing\u201d (discussed in the next section) but is not infrared readable.<\/p>\n

The illustration below shows the usual pattern for dye sublimation (\u201cdyesub\u201d) printer ribbons. The K panel is not a dye. It is instead a \u201cmass transfer\u201d black resin used for infrared readable bar codes and other data. A second K panel (YMCKK) is sometimes provided to allow black resin printing on both sides of the card. An overlay panel\u2014or O panel\u2014is available to protect the image from abrasions and fading. The number quantity number of images per roll varies based on the type of ribbon\u2014or number of panels\u2014and the manufacturer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Our best selling dye sublimation printers are:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>Zebra ZXP Series 3 Card Printer<\/a><\/p>\n

Polaroid P3500S Card Printer<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Nisca PR-C101 Card Printer<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MASS TRANSFER PRINTING <\/strong><\/h4>\n

With a mass transfer panel, the printer cannot control either the ink dot\u2019s size or density which is not good for continuous tone images such as photographs. To create the illusion of continuous tone from discrete dots of ink, printers use a process called dithering, exactly the same behindthe-scenes operation your computer performs any time it sends a picture to the office laser printer.<\/p>\n

A mass transfer ribbon is a layer of monochrome resin on a thin backing film. The resin is usually black, so this type of printing is also referred to as \u201cblack resin printing.\u201d When heated, the resin is stripped from the backing and deposited as a physical layer on the receptor. Mass transfer delivers sharp text and graphics plus infrared readable barcodes. Photo reproduction is adequate for many applications calling for high printing speed and low cost.<\/p>\n

DIRECT-TO-CARD PRINT TECHNOLOGY<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Using dye sublimination and\/or thermal transfer printing methods, heat is used to transfer a digitized image from the ribbon directly to the flat surface of a plastic card. The relatively small number of affordable, durable card materials that accept dyes limits the types of cards used and limits the intensity of colors that DTC can reproduce.<\/p>\n

The DTC process depends on uniform, intimate contact between the printhead, the dye ribbon, and the card surface; therefore, uneven card surfaces cannot achieve high color density and uniformity when dye is transferred directly to a card.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

RETRANSFER PRINT TECHNOLOGY<\/strong>\"\"<\/h4>\n

Retransfer printing uses a process called reverse thermal transfer. Unlike traditional dye sublimation card printers\u2014which use a printhead to transfer the image through a dye ribbon directly onto the card surface\u2014retransfer printers use a two-step process.<\/p>\n

1. In the first step, the retransfer process prints a high-resolution image in reverse directly onto a clear receiving layer carried by a flexible, intermediate film. The dye sublimation process prints the image to the film, just like in DTC printing.<\/p>\n

2. Next, the printer uses heat and pressure to thermally transfer the image and the entire image receiving intermediate film onto the card surface. During this process, the layer thermally bonds to the card surface, and the printed image resides underneath the clear image-receiving layer.<\/p>\n

The benefits of retransfer printing include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Superior image quality<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Prints on more types of card<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Improved security and tamper resistance<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lower printhead costs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our best selling re-transfer\u00a0printers are:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

<\/a>Zebra ZXP Series 9 Retransfer Card Printer<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Polaroid P7500S Retransfer Card Printer<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Nisca PR-C201 Retransfer Card Printer<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source: Zebra Card Printer<\/em><\/p>\n

Links for our guides<\/p>\n

http:\/\/client.allid-asia.com\/basics-part-1-choosing-the-right-card-printer\/<\/p>\n

http:\/\/client.allid-asia.com\/basics-part-3-how-printing-can-make-id-cards-more-secure\/<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LET\u2019S GET BACK TO THE BASICS\u00a0\u2013 PART\u00a02 THERMAL PRINTING\u00a0 Like all other computer-based printers in the office, today\u2019s photo ID<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bwfblock_default_font":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-basics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t