The AlphaCard Technical Support & Resource  Center is full of expert articles, how-to guides, and tips our AlphaCard support reps have gathered over years of experience including these printing tips.

Card Design Tips

Creating high quality cards starts with your card design – there are many things you can do to ensure your cards are designed for optimal printing.

• Use textured colors instead of solid blocks of colors so any natural variation in color saturation won’t stand out
• Darker, more saturated colors require more heat from the printhead, meaning lighter colors are easier to print
• Use cardholder photos that are correctly lit and focused, so they print well
• Make sure your design files or images are the correct size – images that are both too small or too large can cause pixilation and distortion

Printing Tips

When it comes to the actual printing process, you can still take several steps to ensure your cards come out looking great.

• Choose cards that are the correct size for your printer and lie flat, with no rough edges
• Keep cards clean of dirt, dust, or other debris and oils from your hands
• You can adjust the printhead power up and down to increase or decrease the amount of dye put onto cards
• Some printers have multiple print speeds, allowing you to choose a slower print speed for higher quality printing

Get all our expert tips on printing high quality ID cards on the AlphaCard Technical Support site.