Employee cards and ID badges are now considered essential for offices and business establishments. They enhance security by ensuring access is restricted to people who are authorized. ID cards are also a great way to track employee work hours as they can be used to track entry and exit times. ID badges and cards also have to be designed in a way that it looks neat and professional to both employees, clients, and customers. This means before you order custom ID badges and cards for your employees you have to make a lot of little decisions. Helping you in your quest for getting the perfect ID cards and badges for your office, here are 5 key features of a great office ID card.
Reinforced Durability: An ID card or badge should be built to last an employee’s entire duration of employment. This period can be anything from 6 months to 10 years. For starters, the ID cards should be made from high-quality PVC or composite plastic materials. 30 mil composite plastic is the industry standard as it offers a great blend of durability and affordability. For reference, standard credit cards issued by banks are made from 30 mil plastic. It’s also important to source the ID badges and cards from quality printers to ensure the printed text are fade resistant. Most quality printers also use a transparent plastic film to protect the printed design and text.
Full Color Design: While black and white ID cards and badges get the job done, there is no denying the aesthetic appeal of a full colored card. The company logo looks vibrant and colorful, which ensures great brand visibility. Full color photographs also help security personnel to quickly match the photo with the person wearing the badge.
Barcode and Other Data Encoding: Employee ID cards and badges are more than just for identify verification. Most modern employee badges use one of many data encoding methods to store employee data. These methods can be anything from a much-recognized barcode to an embedded smart chip. When read by compatible scanners and readers, these technologies can allow entry to authorized employees as well as track attendance and work hours.
Smart Design: One of the many challenges of designing ID badges and cards is to fit a lot of information without making things look cluttered. Designers need to carefully play with text sizes and design elements to ensure the card is both useful and appealing. One of the ways to get a great design is to get the artwork done by the plastic card printing firm you are sourcing the badges from. This way the plastic card printing firm takes full responsibility for both the design and the finished cards.
Writable Surface: This is often an overlooked detail when ordering ID cards and badges. A card with a writable surface allows users to write on them using markers and pens. These are great for adding signatures or writing down any other details post-printing. Badges with writable surface usually have a matte, non-slippery finish.
