HDP: High Definition Printing

High definition ID card printers use a completely different technology to make ID badges than that used by dye-sublimation ID printers. Instead of printing directly on to the ID card, like Fargo’s line of DTC ID card machines, HDP printers first transfer the desired image onto a clear strip of film. A heated roller inside the ID badge printer then presses this film onto the blank ID card’s surface. Heat and pressure fuse card and film together.

The addition of this layer of film to the card surface results in a tougher ID card. It produces beautiful colors that are at the same time extremely sharp. It also allows users to print onto ID cards that don’t easily accept dye-sublimation images: those having matte finishes and proximity and smart cards.