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The Complete ID
Printer Buyer's Guide

This guide walks you through all the important considerations you'll need to know when selecting an ID card printer.

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  • ID Printer Comparison

ID Card Printer Comparison Tool

With so many ID card printer options, navigating through the choices can seem complicated. Our printer comparison tool makes it easy to compare printers with just a few clicks.

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Low-Volume

ID Card Printer
Comparison

AlphaCard
PRO 100

AlphaCard
PRO 550

Datacard
SD160

Datacard
SD260

IDP
Smart-31

Cost
Cost
MSRP
MSRP
Single-Sided Printer
$1698
$2498
$1480
$1980
$1390
Dual-Sided Printer
—
$2898
—
—
—
AlphaCard Price
AlphaCard Price
Single-Sided Printer
$1098
$1598
$1098
Login for Price
$998
Dual-Sided Printer
—
$1998
—
—
—
Warranty
Warranty
Printer Coverage
3 Years
3 Years
2 years
3 years
3
Loaner Coverage
Pro-Xchange Program
TrueSupport
—
—
—
Printhead Coverage
2 Years
3 Years
2 years
3 years
—
Printing
Printing
Print Technology
Dye Sublimation
Dye Sublimation
Dye Sublimation
Dye Sublimation
Dye Sublimation
Re-Writable Printing
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Card Capacity
Card Capacity
Input Hopper
1
100
100
100 or Single Feed
80
Output Hopper
1
30
25
25
25
Single Feed Mode
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Print Speed
Print Speed
Full Color
35 seconds
35 seconds
40 seconds
30 seconds
Monochrome
7 seconds
7 seconds
12 seconds
7 seconds
Supplies
Supplies
Max. Ribbon Yield
Max. Ribbon Yield
Single-Sided Color
300
300
250
500
—
Single-Sided Black
1000
1000
750
1000
—
Dual-Sided
—
250
—
—
—
Accepted Card Sizes
CR79
CR80
CR79
CR80
CR80
CR80
Card Thickness
20-40 mil
20-40 mil
30 mil
30 mil
Features & Options
Features & Options
Available Encoding Options
Contact Card
Contactless Card
DesFire
iCLASS
Magnetic Stripe
MiFare
Contact Card
Contactless Card
DesFire
iCLASS
Magnetic Stripe
MiFare
Magnetic Stripe
Magnetic Stripe
Contact Card
Contactless Card
Magnetic Stripe
Available Factory
Options
—
Dual Sided
—
Manual Card Feed
Dual Sided
Ethernet
Available Field
Upgrades
—
Dual Sided
Magnetic Stripe
Magnetic Stripe
Dual Sided
Encoding
Ethernet
Magnetic Stripe
Visual Security
Features
AlphaGuard Watermark Technology
AlphaGuard Watermark Technology
UV Ribbon Option
UV Ribbon Option
—
Printer Lock Options
—
—
Kennsington
Kennsington
—
Compatibility
Compatibility
Connection Type
USB
Ethernet
USB
USB
Optional Ethernet
USB
Optional Ethernet
USB
OS Compatibility
Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard
Mac OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard
Mac OSX 10.7 Lion
Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion
Mac OSX 10.9 Mavericks
Mac OSX 10.10 Yosemite
Mac OSX 10.11 El Capitan
Windows XP - 32 bit
Windows XP - 64 bit
Windows Vista - 32 bit
Windows Vista - 64 bit
Windows 7 - 32 bit
Windows 7 - 64 bit
Windows 8 - 32 bit
Windows 8 - 64 bit
Windows 10 - 32 bit
Windows 10 - 64 bit
Windows 2003 Server - 32 bit
Windows 2003 Server - 64 bit
Windows 2008 Server - 32 bit
Windows 2008 Server - 64 bit
Windows 2012 Server - 32 bit
Windows 2012 Server - 64 bit
Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard
Mac OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard
Mac OSX 10.7 Lion
Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion
Mac OSX 10.9 Mavericks
Mac OSX 10.10 Yosemite
Mac OSX 10.11 El Capitan
Windows XP - 32 bit
Windows XP - 64 bit
Windows Vista - 32 bit
Windows Vista - 64 bit
Windows 7 - 32 bit
Windows 7 - 64 bit
Windows 8 - 32 bit
Windows 8 - 64 bit
Windows 10 - 32 bit
Windows 10 - 64 bit
Windows 2003 Server - 32 bit
Windows 2003 Server - 64 bit
Windows 2008 Server - 32 bit
Windows 2008 Server - 64 bit
Windows 2012 Server - 32 bit
Windows 2012 Server - 64 bit
Windows 7 - 32 bit
Windows 7 - 64 bit
Windows 8 - 32 bit
Windows 8 - 64 bit
Windows 10 - 32 bit
Windows 10 - 64 bit
Windows 2008 Server - 64 bit
Windows 2012 Server - 64 bit
Windows 7 - 32 bit
Windows 7 - 64 bit
Windows 8 - 32 bit
Windows 8 - 64 bit
Windows 10 - 32 bit
Windows 10 - 64 bit
Windows 2008 Server - 64 bit
Windows 2012 Server - 64 bit
Mac OSX - 10.0 Cheetah
Mac OSX - 10.1 Puma
Mac OSX 10.2 Jaguar
Mac OSX 10.3 Panther
Mac OSX 10.4 Tiger
Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard
Mac OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard
Mac OSX 10.7 Lion
Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion
Mac OSX 10.9 Mavericks
Mac OSX 10.10 Yosemite
Mac OSX 10.11 El Capitan
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows 10
Linux
Mac Compatible
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Physical Specs
Physical Specs
Size
10.6” L x 8.4” W x 9.1” H
9.2” L x 17.8” W x 8.1” H
6.9" W x 8.8" H x 15.4" D
6.9" W x 8.8" H x 15.4" D
Weight
9.7 lbs
12 lbs
8.1 lbs
8.1 lbs
7.5
MPNS
MPNS
Available MPNs
ACP-PRO100,
ACP-PRO100-MAG,
ACP-PRO100-SMART
ACP-PRO500,
ACP-PRO500-DUO,
ACP-PRO500-MAG,
ACP-PRO500-DUO-MAG,
ACP-PRO500-SMART,
ACP-PRO500-DUO-SMART,
ACP-PRO500-SMART-MAG,
ACP-PRO500-DUO-SMART-MAG
510685-001,
510685-002
535500-001,
535500-002,
535500-003,
535500-004
651527,
651528,
651533
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