Like the ID card printers themselves, one distinguishing feature of identification card software is the types of security it can provide a card. There are several different options when it comes to card features and software (but remember, in order for a card to have the security feature, the identification card software must work together – so both MUST have the capability to make or encode the feature in question), including:

• Barcodes – Bar codes are probably the simplest form of security for identification. Card software programs and ID card printers are generally all able to create the barcode and print it onto a card. A bar code consists of information (can be a name, a number, or both) encoded horizontally into a series of black bars. The space between the bars is read by an optical scanner and translated to reveal the information encoded within. Bar codes are popular and used nearly universally – for everything from employee ID cards to student badges.
• Magnetic Stripes – Magnetic stripes are a popular security option and used for many different applications. The identification card software provides the printer with the information to encode on the magnetic stripe. Magnetic stripes have two different levels of encoding – high and low coercivity (HiCo and LoCo), HiCo being more secure than LoCo.
• Smart Card – A smart card is a card with a small visible microprocessor embedded in it via a small (usually gold) chip. These cards are used in more secure applications and only high-end printers have the capability to encode them.
• RFID/Contactless Smart Card – RFID technology uses a radio antenna sandwiched between the two outside layers of a card. Like smart cards, RFID technology is used in instances where more stringent security is needed, and few printers have the ability to encode the cards with the information.