High Volume Card Printing: When Does Outsourcing Preprinted ID Cards Make Sense?

High Volume Card Printing: When Does Outsourcing Preprinted ID Cards Make Sense?

25th Sep 2024

In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations are always looking for ways to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and streamline operations. One effective solution for businesses that require high volumes of ID cards, membership cards, or access badges is to use preprinted cards.

For organizations that regularly need to issue a large number of cards, preprinting offers significant advantages in terms of cost savings, time efficiency, and operational simplicity. Here’s why opting for preprinted cards can be a smart move for your business.

1. Cost Savings for High-Volume Printing

When it comes to printing hundreds or even thousands of cards, the cost of printing supplies and equipment can add up quickly. Preprinted cards offer substantial savings in these areas.

  • Lower Cost per Card: With preprinted cards, you can take advantage of economies of scale. Printing in bulk generally reduces the overall cost per card. Companies that print a large number of cards at once can negotiate better rates from professional printing services, making this option more affordable than printing smaller batches in-house.
  • Reduced Supply Costs: Preprinted cards cut down on the need for expensive ink ribbons and blank card stock that are required for in-house printing. This can lead to significant long-term savings, especially for organizations that print thousands of cards each year.

Bottom Line: Preprinted cards help high-volume organizations save money by reducing both the cost per card and the need for expensive printing supplies.

2. Time Efficiency

For businesses that issue a large number of cards—whether they’re membership cards, loyalty cards, ID badges, or event passes—time is of the essence. Preprinting offers a significant advantage in terms of time efficiency.

  • Faster Card Issuance: Preprinted cards are already designed with your branding, logos, and standard information. All you need to do is personalize the card with specific details such as names, photos, or barcodes. This process is much faster than printing the entire card from scratch each time.
  • Ready-to-Issue Cards: By using preprinted cards, businesses can maintain a stock of cards that are ready to be issued on demand. This eliminates long wait times and ensures that new employees, members, or customers can receive their cards immediately, improving the customer or employee experience.

Bottom Line: Preprinted cards save time by allowing you to personalize and issue cards quickly, which is crucial for high-volume environments.

3. Improved Operational Efficiency

In high-volume operations, speed and consistency are essential. Preprinted cards help simplify the workflow and allow businesses to focus on other critical tasks.

  • Consistent Branding and Quality: Preprinted cards ensure that the design and quality of each card remain consistent. This uniformity helps maintain your company’s professional image and ensures that all cards meet your branding standards.
  • Simplified Printing Process: With the majority of the card preprinted, the in-house personalization process becomes much simpler. This means less downtime, fewer errors, and a smoother workflow for your team. Staff members can focus on personalizing the cards with the necessary individual information instead of managing the entire printing process.

Bottom Line: Preprinted cards streamline the card issuance process and improve overall operational efficiency by simplifying personalization and maintaining consistency.

4. Customization Flexibility

While preprinted cards provide the basic layout and branding, they can still be customized with individual data and features. This flexibility allows businesses to retain the personalization capabilities they need without sacrificing efficiency.

  • Personal Data Printing: Preprinted cards can be customized with variable data like names, photos, or unique identification numbers. This is particularly useful for membership cards, event passes, and employee IDs, where each card requires some form of individualization.
  • Barcode and Magnetic Stripe Encoding: Many preprinted cards are designed with barcodes, magnetic stripes, or smart chips that can be encoded with personal data after the card has been preprinted. This allows for easy access control, tracking, and other security features to be added during the personalization process.

Bottom Line: Preprinted cards offer the perfect balance between mass production and individual personalization, providing flexibility without compromising on efficiency.

5. Professional Design and Durability

Preprinted cards are typically produced by professional printing companies that use high-quality materials and advanced printing techniques. This ensures that the cards not only look great but also hold up to daily wear and tear.

  • Vibrant, Full-Color Printing: Professional preprinted cards feature crisp, high-resolution images and vibrant colors that are difficult to achieve with in-house printing. This gives your cards a more professional appearance, which can be especially important for membership or loyalty programs.
  • Durable Materials: Preprinted cards are usually made with durable PVC or composite materials that can withstand heavy use, ensuring that they last longer than in-house printed cards. This is especially beneficial for cards that are used frequently, such as employee ID badges or access control cards.

Bottom Line: Preprinted cards offer superior design and durability, giving you a professional-looking product that can stand up to frequent use.

6. Reduced Equipment Maintenance

In-house card printing requires regular maintenance of printers, ink cartridges, and other supplies. Preprinted cards eliminate much of this hassle, reducing the wear and tear on your equipment.

  • Fewer Printer Issues: High-volume printing can put a lot of strain on your in-house printers, leading to frequent breakdowns, malfunctions, and maintenance needs. By using preprinted cards, you reduce the demand on your printers, allowing them to last longer and operate more efficiently.
  • Less Downtime: Reduced equipment maintenance means fewer disruptions to your workflow, ensuring that your card issuance process stays on track.

Bottom Line: Preprinted cards help reduce printer wear and tear, lowering the need for maintenance and minimizing equipment downtime.

Contact us today

For organizations that deal with high-volume card issuance, preprinted cards offer a range of significant advantages. From cost savings and time efficiency to improved operational workflows and consistent quality, preprinted cards provide a practical and effective solution to meet your card printing needs.

By leveraging the benefits of preprinted cards, you can focus on personalization and distribution, while saving on resources and maintaining a professional, high-quality card product. If your organization regularly issues large volumes of cards, consider switching to preprinted cards to streamline your operations and enhance your overall efficiency. Use our ID card printing service and contact us today to learn more about this service.