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One
of the great frustrations of ID badging is running out of supplies
in the middle of a project. Poor print quality due to a dirty
printer is even worse. We stock a full line of ribbons, laminates
and cleaning kits. Whether you are looking for a 5 panel color
ribbon or a monochrome resin ribbon, chances are we have it on
the shelf and ready to ship. We regularly stock Zebra/Eltron,
Fargo, Magicard, and Nisca. If you are looking for something
else, give us a call and we will be more than happy to special
order it for you.
Ribbons typically come in two different types,
dye-sublimation and resin thermal transfer. Unlike inkjet
printers, most PVC card
printers use a consumable ribbon that will issue a specific
number of cards per roll. These rolls are either one continuous
format
like in a black resin ribbon or made up of multiple panels
like in a color dye-sublimation ribbon.
Dye-Sublimation
Dye-sublimation is the print process card printer/encoders use to print smooth,
continuous-tone, photo-quality images. This process uses a dye-based ribbon
roll that is divided into a series of color panels. The color panels are grouped
in a repeating series of three separate colors along the length of the ribbon:
Yellow, Magenta, and Cyan (YMC). As the ribbon and card pass simultaneously
beneath the printhead, hundreds of thermal elements heat the dyes on the ribbon.
Once the dyes are heated, they vaporize and diffuse into the surface of the
card. Varying the heat intensity of each thermal element within the printhead
makes it possible for each transferred dot of color to vary saturation. This
blends one color into the next. The result is continuous-tone, photo-realistic
color images.
Resin Thermal Transfer
Resin thermal transfer is the process used to print sharp black
text and crisp bar codes that can be read by both infra-red
and visible-light bar code scanners.
It is also the process used to print ultra-fast, economical one-color cards.
Like dye-sublimation, this process uses a thermal printhead to transfer color
from the ribbon roll to the card. The difference, however, is that solid dots
of color are transferred in the form of a resin-based ink which fuses to the
surface of the card when heated. This produces very durable, single-color images.
To find supplies for your card printer today select your card printer manufacturer:
Zebra Fargo Magicard Datacard
Nisca
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