If you’ve ever seen an ID card printer sitting on an office desk, chances are it was Direct-to-Card (DTC). DTC printers are common because they’re cost-effective, easy to use, and flexible. You can output individual ID cards one-by-one or produce a lot of cards quickly.
That makes it a popular printer category with loads of options. Depending on your needs and budget, you can choose from a long list of products ranging from basic to advanced. Some let you hand-feed individual cards. Some have card ‘hoppers’ that let you print big batches of cards in one go. Others allow you to do both.
DTC printers use traditional dye sublimation to create customised ID cards (that's why they're sometimes labelled 'dye sublimation printers'). A printhead embedded with tiny glass pixels presses ink from a ribbon directly onto plastic cards.
While the technology is straightforward, it can be applied in several ways. There are different options for print resolution. You can choose between colour and monochrome. Some DTC printers let you add modules for dual-sided printing or lamination.
