How does the printer work

[Brother]

Evolis printers personalize plastic cards for a wide variety of uses​

If necessary, before printing, you can encode the card (to a contact or contactless microchip and (or) a magnetic stripe).

Learn how your Evolis printer works with 3D animation (in English).

Evolis printers personalize plastic cards for a wide variety of uses. If necessary, before printing, you can encode the card (to a contact or contactless microchip and (or) a magnetic stripe).

Printing is done by rolling the card under the print head several times in four-color mode (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black). For protection purposes, varnish is applied to the card.
The card then returns to its original position for printing on the other side, then enters the output tray.
Thus, you can print cards one at a time (in “one card at a time”) or in series (from a database).
This presentation uses a Primacy printer.

Contactless microchip encoding​

The contactless card does not need physical contact with the reader. Communication is carried out at ultra-high frequencies.

Contactless cards consist of several elements:

• microchip (with microwave transmitter)
• antennas
• paper or plastic laminate (card).

Depending on the use case, the cards on the market can be the simplest and most complex. The "heart" of this type of card is the microchip: it controls the connection with the reader, the receipt of data, their storage on the card, their encryption and the security of access to them.

Reader communication:​

The reader emits electromagnetic waves which, when in contact with the antenna of the proximity card, generate a magnetic field. The passive card draws energy from this magnetic field and uses it to power the microchip circuitry.
The microchip then modifies these waves and sends them back to the reader, which converts them into digital data.
The card should be placed close enough to the reader - at a distance of 3-10 cm. Some contactless cards use radio waves, and therefore they can work at a greater distance from the reader.

Encoding contactless cards with Evolis printers:​

Evolis Zenius, Primacy, Primacy Lamination, Elypso, Quantum 2, Avansia, Tattoo2RW, KC200, KC200B, KM500B, KM2000B printers are additionally equipped with contactless card encoders. This solution provides a high level of flexibility, as well as the ability to obtain a ready-made contactless smart card with a microchip in a few minutes.

Encoding contact smart cards with microchip​

A contact card with a microchip appeared more than 25 years ago. Since then, their sales have exceeded a billion pieces.
A contact card with a microchip is a plastic card (the size of a credit card) with a built-in “microprocessor” chip. The memory capacity of such a chip is 100 times that of the magnetic stripe memory.
In addition, it can be reprogrammed and the data encoded on it can be added, erased or changed.

Data coding principle:​

Personalization (encryption) of data on contact smart cards is practically invisible to the cardholder. The complexity and implementation of the process itself varies depending on the type of card used.
As a rule, binary data, like in a computer, is recorded on miniaturized electronic circuits.

Smart Card Encoding with EVOLIS Printers:​

To personalize the microchip in the printers Zenius, Primacy, Primacy Lamination, Elypso, Quantum 2, Avansia, KC200, KC200B, KM500B, KM2000B, a contact station for encoding smart cards is provided (encoding in accordance with ISO 7816-2 standards). The printers are also equipped with a DB-9 connector directly connected to the Smart Card Encoder Station. A reader / coding device is connected to this device, with the help of which the microchip is programmed.
This solution provides a high level of flexibility, as well as the ability to obtain a ready-made contact smart card with a microchip in a few minutes.

Magnetic stripe encoding​

A magnetic stripe is a black or brown strip that can be seen, for example, on bank cards. This strip contains microscopic magnetic particles mixed with resin.

Principle of operation​

During the encoding process, these particles are magnetized towards the north or south pole. Each symbol plotted on a strip is made up of a collection of bits with a value of 0 or 1. The polarity of the magnetic particles is changed to determine each of these bits.
By changing the magnetization of the particles along the strip, it is possible to encode binary information that will be transmitted to the reader.

Coercivity​

Coercivity is the force required by a magnetic field to change data encoded on a magnetic stripe.

There are two types of magnetic stripe cards with different levels of coercivity:

• HiCo magnetic strips (High Coercivity) provide a higher level of protection against damage caused by external magnetic fields.
• LoCo magnetic strips (from the English Low Coercivity - low coercivity) are less resistant to external magnetic fields, but their advantage is that they are slightly cheaper than HiCo strips.

How to encode a magnetic stripe on a plastic card?​

Evolis printers are additionally equipped with magnetic stripe encoders. This solution provides a high level of flexibility as well as the ability to have a finished magnetic stripe card in minutes.

Card lamination​

To protect plastic cards from wear and tear, UV exposure and counterfeiting, a protective polyester film can be applied to them. This process is called lamination.
Typically, the card is laminated in two stages: first printing, then applying the film.
The varnish or film is applied at an elevated temperature. The required temperature cannot be achieved using a conventional print head, so a special device is needed - a laminator.
The laminators are equipped with heating rollers that heat up to temperatures between 140 ° C and 190 ° C. This allows the rollers to "glue" the laminate onto the PVC card.

Types of films​

There are several types of laminates that fall into two main categories:

• Multilayer films made of polyethylene terephthalate: rather dense, designed for several years of service (from 5 to 10).
• Lacquer: Thinner films with a 2 to 3 year lifespan.

These two types can be transparent (UV protection) or holographic (UV protection and counterfeiting).

Multilayer film can be made up of the same or alternating different layers (for double-sided lamination). The combination of different types of film provides a wide variety of applications:

• Continuous application
• Non-continuous application for magnetic cards
• Non-continuous application for contact cards with a chip
• Drawing on half of the map (vertical)

Varnish film is similar to monochrome tape: it is continuous and does not require precise positioning.

Laminating cards with Evolis​

• The Primacy Lamination is ideal for personalizing and laminating security badges . This compact printer allows you to print, laminate, and encode double-sided cards in a variety of ways.
• The Avansia Lamination system is designed for retransfer printing and lamination of quality cards with a high level of security. Avansia Lamination is ideal for customizing ID cards to meet the needs of large companies, organizations and governments.

Printing holograms​

A hologram is a three-dimensional image created using photographic projection.
Unlike three-dimensional graphics (3D) or virtual reality on a two-dimensional computer monitor, a hologram is a real three-dimensional image that does not imitate spatial depth and does not require additional viewing devices.

Why do we need holograms as a security tool?​

• The hologram cannot be copied with a scanner or color copier.
• It cannot be counterfeited using standard printing methods.
• The first visual levels of protection can be used to "embed" a second or third level of control.

The creation and reproduction of holograms is carried out by only a few companies. The technologies used are complex and involve strict adherence to certain procedures. Therefore, holography is a priority solution for making badges and security cards.
No special equipment is required to control the authenticity of holograms. You can quickly and efficiently control the cards with a hologram with the naked eye.

How is a hologram cardped?​

The hologram is applied to the card in the form of a transparent film using a special tape.
Evolis offers three types of holographic tapes:

• Optoseal® holographic tape (P / N: R4001)
• Holographic Continuous Card Lamination Tape (Standard Hologram - Security Element) for Securion Printers (P / N: R4832)
• Application of special holograms to order. For more information on this type of product, please contact us.

Printing on plastic cards​

PVC cards, more commonly referred to simply as plastic cards, have a smooth surface and therefore require different printers to print on than “traditional” laser or inkjet printers.
The method used to print on plastic cards is called thermal transfer.
Thermal transfer transfers a layer of paint from the ribbon onto a flat and smooth surface. The transfer is carried out thanks to the thermal head of the printer, which heats up the ink layer of the ribbon. As a result, the ink layer turns into a gaseous state and then solidifies on the surface of the plastic card. This printing method is also called thermal sublimation.

Monochrome printing​

When printing in one color, the printing is called monochrome. This method can be beneficial when printing on cards that already have an image on them. It is ideal for printing on cards that do not require name elements (photographs, etc.).

Color print​

Like professional presses, Evolis printers overlay three primary colors (yellow, magenta, cyan) to give the image more depth.
This method produces personalized maps with absolutely accurate color reproduction of images and logos and a high resolution (300 dpi). This is a professional resolution that delivers exceptional 'shine'.

Reprint on cards​

Reprinting technology on cards does not use ribbons. The card itself contains a heat-sensitive material that becomes visible when heated to 180 ° C and cooled quickly.
If the card is heated to a lower temperature (typically 110 ° C-160 ° C), the color will disappear. This is due to the presence of two chemicals in the material, which come together when a certain critical temperature is reached.
The card can be heated using a thermal head - the same one used in Evolis printers. This process is reversible, so the image can be applied to the same card and then erased up to 500 times.

Reprint Cards:​

The heat-sensitive material is plasticized on the carrier, and thus a clear plastic card is obtained. The most common media are PVC (0.76 mm cards) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate, 0.25 mm cards).
PVC cards can be made with a magnetic stripe or with a contactless microchip, thanks to which they can be used in the most difficult applications. PET cards often contain a magnetic layer on the opposite side of the printable side.

Advantages:​

• Saving:
  • no tape costs
  • cards can be reused (up to 500 times)
• Great marketing tool:
  • Long-term marketing strategies become more effective
  • information about new promotions can be applied to cards
  • ideal for targeted marketing campaigns
  • assists companies in the formation, maintenance and development of a client base
  • are easy to read with the naked eye, which contributes to the formation of relationships with customers.
• Rapid update capability:
  • Data can be updated in-place as needed.
• Wide scope of application:
  • can be combined with magnetic stripe or contactless chip.

Reprinting cards with Evolis printers:​

The Tattoo RW printer is part of the Evolis range and allows multiple prints on plastic cards. 300 dpi resolution, automatic thickness adjustment, fast erase and print cycle ... All Evolis know-how for reprints!

Barcodes​

Barcode is the first and most common level of plastic card encoding. We are talking about graphic coding, which is performed at the stage of badge printing.

What is a barcode?​

A barcode is the reproduction of digital or alphanumeric information in the form of a character consisting of strokes and spaces between them. The width of the strokes and the distance between them depend on the information encoded in them and the coding standard used.

Barcodes are read by an electronic photosensitive device. This device is placed in front of the barcode, and it recognizes the rays reflected by the barcode on the plastic card (the principle of reflection and absorption of light: rays are reflected by the light areas of the barcode and absorbed by the dark ones).
Therefore, it is important that the printed barcode has a strong contrast between dark and light areas, and that their edges are even and clear.

How to print a barcode on a plastic card?​

With thermal transfer technology, Evolis printers allow you to print barcodes on plastic cards. This technology guarantees print contrast and sharpness optimized for electronic barcode reading.