Oaktech Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I would use the guys at Digital ID. this https://www.digitalid.co.uk/systems/school is a cracking system for the money.
DalekSec Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 We use the Evolis Pebble, good little machine and print it via Publisher
Novalee Posted January 20, 2015 Author Posted January 20, 2015 So to use MiFare cards in future, do I need a particular machine which will print on them, or do I just buy MiFare cards and put them through a standard card printer. Then encode them on something else? Excuse the many questions, I just don't want to spend hundreds of pounds on a machine which will be redundant in a few years due to not having forethought.
localzuk Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 You can put ISO Mifare cards through pretty much any ID card printer. The encoding can either be done after the fact (but it will be a manual job), or if the system integrates with whatever system you use the cards with, some printers can have a Mifare card encoder built in, so they are encoded as part of the printing process.
Novalee Posted January 20, 2015 Author Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks @localzuk So I'm am stuck between the Magicard Enduro + SmartCard - Your ID Specialist - £699 SPECIAL OFFER Dual Sided Enduro 3633-9021 (dual sided) and the Evolis primacy double sided SmartCard - Your ID Specialist - Evolis Primacy Double Sided Card Printer PM1H0000RD These both seem very similar except the Magicard adds 'holograms'. The price would suggest that the Evolis is superior in someway though - can anyone see something that I'm missing here? I think the ribbons are a little more expensive on the Magicard, that could be the reason perhaps.
localzuk Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I had a Magicard Tempo for a few years here and I would say the big difference between Magicard and Evolis is build quality - the Magicard just seems more flimsy - it was certainly a lot louder too. The Evolis is very sturdy and pretty darn quiet when its whirring away. Also, the Evolis comes with built in Ethernet as standard, so the price difference is only about £30.
azc Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 the Magicard adds 'holograms' Magicard call this their 'HoloKote' technology, you can read about it here. I've taken a photo of a scrap card printed with the HoloKote layer. You can see it in this photo: http://i.imgur.com/JBSJGVas.jpg.
Novalee Posted January 20, 2015 Author Posted January 20, 2015 Magicard call this their 'HoloKote' technology, you can read about it here. I've taken a photo of a scrap card printed with the HoloKote layer. Hmm they say 'What stops someone from copying your card? With most printers… absolutely nothing. With Magicard printers… HoloKote.' If someone was that desperate, couldn't they just buy a Magicard printer and proceed to copy it? Not sure why they would mind. Thanks though - not sure the holokote is really necessary for us now I've seen it.
silver_uk Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Been looking and speaking to Digital ID people, all the card printers seem fine, what I want to know is how easy can we get a database (SIMS) to link up to the imagebase ID software?
Boredguy Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 what I want to know is how easy can we get a database (SIMS) to link up to the imagebase ID software? Not easily would be the answer as exporting any information from SIMS is best done via reports. We manually entered all our staff into the ImageBase software for our ID badges, and then the office staff had to enter the students for their Bus ID pass
localzuk Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Been looking and speaking to Digital ID people, all the card printers seem fine, what I want to know is how easy can we get a database (SIMS) to link up to the imagebase ID software? I wrote my own software! One day, when I find some time, I hope to package it up and release it. Just need to work out some image scaling issues first!
silver_uk Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Can we test your software Not sure what version of Image Base we would need if we are manually (thanks Boredguy) if we too are manually entering names pictures etc.
Boredguy Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 We have ImageBase Pro (version 2) and it works quite nicely as far as usage. You can choose to use a Access Database or SQL server as the backend for it, and I would imagine it's similar in capabilities as the version that DigialID are currently offering with their "Lite" one since it's been 5 years since we started to use system.
localzuk Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Can we test your software Not sure what version of Image Base we would need if we are manually (thanks Boredguy) if we too are manually entering names pictures etc. Not yet, sorry! I'd be getting it finished this week, if my plans had been possible, but instead I'm implementing a Moodle server and doing the job of 2 people as my tech has left and not yet been replaced.
DavePa Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 We have a couple of Magicard Rio Pro card printers, one with a MiFare module and one without. They both do double-sided printing, although monochrome only on the reverse. They're OK I suppose. Don't really have anything to compare them with. Suggest having a chat with AIT (formerly Altman and ICS) about their card printing solutions. That's exactly what we use - down to the Mifare on one but not the other! We purchased them through DigitalID who we continue to use for cards/ribbons etc. For us it's a lot cheaper then outsourcing (we were paying as much as £3 per card although usually down to around £2 depending on quantity but the blanks are about 42p each and the printing costs take that to probably £1 each although it's the convenience as much as the cost saving, being able to replacea lost card in minutes rather than needing to issue a spare and wait for a replacement is very handy.
PotNoodleTech Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 It's definitely 40p a card, just checked the invoice again. That is for a MiFare card full colour double sided with the choice of matt or gloss. What company does it for that? Mifare cards are usually 30p+ each just for blank cards.
Edu-IT Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 What company does it for that? Mifare cards are usually 30p+ each just for blank cards. They're called Oomph. http://www.madebyoomph.co.uk 1
LesarUK- Posted April 22, 2015 Posted April 22, 2015 (edited) Hi Novalee, It does tend to be the software really that gets people, pretty much every direct to card printer is the same bar the look and print speed. They all use the same print head! The Evolis Primacy, great piece of equipment and is really reliable. The software that comes with a Primacy is called eMedia, and it's FREE when used with a Primacy - might be worth looking at. Thanks Kieran Edited April 22, 2015 by elsiegee40
pete Posted January 21 Posted January 21 On 15/01/2015 at 17:00, pete said: We outsourced to Castlemount ( The Complete Service for ID Card Printing, ID Card Design, ID Badges ) Full colour, two sided, magstripe on 1mm plastic. But for 2025-26 context, we're shopping around for another supplier after the company changed hands and service levels declined.
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