Direct-to-Card ID Printers

Direct-to-Card Printer Direct-to-card ID card printers print directly to the surface of PVC or PVC-PET composite cards, a process called dye sublimation.

The reason direct-to-card printers are popular is because they produce faster print speeds and have a lower cost-per-card than retransfer printers. However, there is a slight downside to dye sublimation printing.

The printhead inside of a direct-to-card printer presses the ink from the ribbon directly onto the card. During this process, it creates a small white border around the edge because the printhead is not able to go over the edge of cards. A common remedy to this issue is to design cards with a white background or purposely with a white border along the outside edge.

If printing over the edge is a necessity, consider retransfer ID card printers.

If you have any questions or need assistance on dye sublimation direct-to-card printers, contact us or call today at (877) 213-8180.

Best Sellers

Datacard CD880 Simplex Printer
Single-Sided Card Printing - Up to 300 x 1200 DPI - 220 Cards/Hour One-Sided (YMCKT)

Datacard CD880 Duplex Printer
Dual-Sided Card Printing - Up to 300 x 1200 DPI - 165 Cards/Hour Two-Sided (YMCKT-K)

Sort by

Evolis Badgy 200 Single-Sided ID Card Printer
The Evolis Badgy 200 is an affordable, entry-level desktop ID card printing solution. This lightweight single-sided printer can easily be transported, perfect for quick on-demand badges and cards. With Badgy you get access to a free online card template library, where you can personalize the template of your choice, adding ...

Product details
Evolis Primacy 2 SE Duplex ID Card Printer
The Primacy 2 SE meets all your current requirements and those you will have in the future. Its various capabilities, including double-sided printing, a 200-card feeder, encoders, a lamination module, and an LCD display, can be added at any time. These new alternatives are simple to install you could do ...

Product details
Evolis Primacy 2 SE Simplex ID Card Printer
The Primacy 2 SE meets all your current requirements and those you will have in the future. Its various capabilities, including double-sided printing, a 200-card feeder, encoders, a lamination module, and an LCD display, can be added at any time. These new alternatives are simple to install you could do ...

Product details
Evolis Primacy Lamination ID Card Printer
Primacy Lamination is an all-in-one, affordable system for: Encoding, Color sublimation printing and monochrome thermal transfer, And laminating your cards, with or without holograms. Your ID cards will have maximum durability and a high level of security. Laminating your cards will prevent incidents of fraud. This system is ideal for producing secure ...

Product details
Evolis Quantum2 ID Card Printer
A powerful system to personalize plastic cards in volume, the Evolis Quantum2 ID card printer matches the flexibility of a desktop printer with the power of an industrial machine. The Quantum2 delivers more than 1,000 personalized cards per hour in monochrome and more than 150 card per hour in color. Its ...

Product details
Evolis Zenius Single-Sided ID Card Printer
The Evolis Zenius is the one-stop solution to print high-quality single-sided ID cards, in monochrome or color, and encode technology cards, in single or small runs, for a variety of applications: employee badges, access control badges, payment cards, transportation passes, and more. Equipped with state-of-the-art printing technologies, the Expert version of Zenius ...

Product details
Fargo DTC1250e Single-Sided ID Card Printer/Encoder
HID Global's Fargo DTC1250e ID Card Printer/Encoder is designed for low volume card printing applications for small businesses, educational institutions and local governments. With a simple and compact footprint, the DTC1250e can be placed in a variety of desktop settings. While compact in size, the DTC 1250e is the fastest printer ...

Product details
Fargo DTC1500 Dual-Sided ID Card Printer/Encoder
Built on 20 years of proven direct-to-card printing expertise, the HID® FARGO® DTC1500 card printer/encoder offers the convenience and lower cost of high-capacity consumables along with a comprehensive feature set – enabling organizations to routinely issue highly secure cards and IDs at a fraction of the cost without sacrificing quality. Designed ...

Product details
Fargo DTC1500 Single-Sided ID Card Printer/Encoder
Built on 20 years of proven direct-to-card printing expertise, the HID® FARGO® DTC1500 card printer/encoder offers the convenience and lower cost of high-capacity consumables along with a comprehensive feature set – enabling organizations to routinely issue highly secure cards and IDs at a fraction of the cost without sacrificing quality. Designed ...

Product details
Fargo DTC4250e Dual-Sided ID Card Printer/Encoder
HID's Fargo DTC4250e ID Card Printer / Encoder, a replacement for the DTC4000, is a highly versatile and reliable machine with optional field-upgradeable modules that can be scaled to meet future requirements. Designed for medium-sized businesses, schools and local government institutions seeking versatility in a convenient, professional and secure printer/encoder system, the ...

Product details
Fargo DTC4250e Single-Sided ID Card Printer/Encoder
HID's Fargo DTC4250e ID Card Printer / Encoder, a replacement for the DTC4000, is a highly versatile and reliable machine with optional field-upgradeable modules that can be scaled to meet future requirements. Designed for medium-sized businesses, schools and local government institutions seeking versatility in a convenient, professional and secure printer/encoder system, the ...

Product details
Fargo DTC4500e Dual-Sided ID Card Printer/Encoder
HID's Fargo DTC4500e is a high-volume performance ID card printer/encoder that is designed for robust, high-volume printing every day. Compatibility with high-capacity ribbon supplies and dual-input card hoppers come standard with the DTC4500e. Because of its modular design, the DTC 4500e is field-upgradeable for dual-sided printing, lamination and technology encoding. Speed, power and ...

Product details
Fargo DTC4500e Single-Sided ID Card Printer/Encoder
HID's Fargo DTC4500e is a high-volume performance ID card printer/encoder that is designed for robust, high-volume printing every day. Compatibility with high-capacity ribbon supplies and dual-input card hoppers come standard with the DTC4500e. Because of its modular design, the DTC 4500e is field-upgradeable for dual-sided printing, lamination and technology encoding. Speed, power and ...

Product details
Fargo DTC5500LMX ID Card Printer/Encoder/Laminator
For government agencies, universities, medium-to-large businesses and healthcare facilities that need direct-to-card printing capabilities to routinely issue high volumes of IDs or personalized cards cost-effectively, the FARGO® DTC5500LMX from HID Global® is an affordable, eco-friendly solution that provides high quality card production and features wasteless lamination for an ultra-low cost-per-card. Designed ...

Product details
IDP SMART-31D Dual-Sided ID Card Printer
Born from the successful IDP SMART-30 Series printers, the SMART-31D is the latest generation of IDP's entry-level dual sided (duplex) Photo ID Card Printers. The SMART-31D is a great printer for small businesses, organizations, or clubs to produce ID cards, identity badges, access passes, loyalty cards, and more. Single or ...

Product details
IDP SMART-31R Single-Sided Rewriteable ID Card Printer
Born from the successful IDP SMART-30 Series printers, the SMART-31R is the latest generation of IDP's entry-level single side (simplex) Thermal ReWrite Photo ID Card Printers. The SMART-31R is a great printer for organizations that wish personalize ID cards, identity badges, access passes, loyalty cards, and more, but then wish ...

Product details
IDP SMART-31S Single-Sided ID Card Printer
Born from the successful IDP SMART-30 Series printers, the SMART-31S is the latest generation of IDP's entry-level single sided (simplex) Photo ID Card Printers. The SMART-31S is a great printer for small businesses, organizations, or clubs to produce ID cards, identity badges, access passes, loyalty cards, and more. Color & ...

Product details
IDP SMART-51D Dual-Sided ID Card Printer
IDP's SMART-51D printer will produce full-color or monochrome cards reliably for years. Its time-test design provides high-speed printing, excellent image reproduction and cost savings. The SMART-51D offers a wide range of optional features including Ethernet, Smart card encoding, and a field upgradeable lamination module. Single or Dual Sided Printing Print Speed: ...

Product details
IDP SMART-51L Laminating ID Card Printer
IDP’s SMART-51L printer produces high quality printed and laminated cards for government credentials, student photo identification, and secured access control badges. Ideally suited for today’s increased security on identification cards, the SMART-51L with patented Direct Lamination™ technology provides an ultra-fast laminating solution with state-of-the-art security features. When it comes to security ...

Product details
IDP SMART-51S Single-Sided ID Card Printer
IDP’s SMART-51S printer will produce full-color or monochrome cards reliably for years. Its time-test design provides high-speed printing, excellent image reproduction and cost savings. The SMART-51S offers a wide range of optional features including Ethernet, smart card encoding, and field upgradeable dual and lamination modules. Color & Mono Single Side Printing ...

Product details