Card Handling 

Use the following guidelines when handling unprinted cards

  • Debris or particles on blank card stock reduces card quality and damages the system.
  • Grease or oils, such as oils from your fingers, reduces print quality. Keep cards completely clean. Do not touch the print surface of a card with your fingers or hands. 
  • Handle blank card stock by the edges only, or wear approved card inspection gloves.
  • Avoid using latex or neoprene gloves as they can transfer material to the card, which in the case of a retransfer ID card printer then reduces adhesion of the retransfer film.  
  • Always place cards on a clean surface when removing them from the printer (for example, during cleaning).
  • Do not use a rubber band to bind blank cards together. 
  •  If you drop a card on the floor, clean it using a lint-free cloth before using it in the system.
  • Never use solvents to clean the card. 
  • Avoid using cards that appear blank that have been through the printer as these may have been overcoated, this can cause a subsequent break in the dye film if the card is sued again.


Card Storage 

These guidelines apply to both blank card stock and pre-printed processed cards. 

  • Use cards that are at room temperature. If cards are stored in a cooler environment than the printer, allow them to reach room temperature before using them.
  • Stack cards so that they will not shift and rub against each other. 
  • Make sure that the magnetic stripe on one card does not come in contact with the magnetic stripe on another card. 
  • Make sure that cards with magnetic stripes are stored away from magnetic objects.
  • Store cards in a cool, dry, and dark place. Excessive light might cause yellowing of cards on exposed edges.
  • Avoid storing the cards in locations exposed to direct sunlight, or with high temperature and high humidity.
  • Store cards in their original packaging.


Static Cards

Cards can build up a static charge between a stack of cards, this can make card picking difficult for a card printer and especially for a card printer that has dirty feed rollers.

  • Try flexing the cards (again handling by edges only) to flex these apart much like you would handle a deck of cards or a ream of paper going in to a laser printer.
  • Avoid loading and then removing cards from the printer, this can be difficult when there are various card types being used.  good practice would be to place these in original packaging or to have an additional spare card hopper for various stock.
  • It would always be best practice to fully load a card hopper once flexed and deplete the entire hopper prior to replacing cards, again this is just a recommendation as this will not always be practical in day to day operation of a card printer.