How oversized badges can enhance security at your building: Larger badges, increased security - by Andrew Schonzeit

Andrew Schonzeit, IDESCO

Over the last decade, issuing secure ID cards has become critical for property managers and building owners. Not only do photo ID badges help identify who should be on your property and who should not but they are also instrumental in controlling access to your premises and keeping everyone safe. Standard CR80 credit card size IDs have been widely accepted all around the country but security requirements can be very different from one property to the other. How do you identify authorized personnel from a distance? How do you create unique badges that are virtually impossible to duplicate? How do you ensure a smooth flow of employees, contractors and visitors to reduce lines at the door and control access to your facilities?

Larger Badges, Increased Security Property managers can enhance security at their building today with oversized ID badges. Large photo IDs let you visually scan a crowd and identify at a glance who has proper credentials and access rights. Bigger photos and graphics help busy security personnel work more efficiently and oversized IDs have room for security features that make them easy to authenticate and hard to counterfeit.

Oversized badges can be preprinted with your own graphics and personalized on-site with the cardholders’ contact information within seconds. Property managers can order different sets of preprinted cards for each type of user. Each set can be color coded to indicate various security levels. Employees, visitors and contractors would each have their own badge design that can be easily identified by security personnel.

The same card can also serve as a secure access control badge when you choose contactless smart cards. The same card printer can be used to print and encode your cards. The cardholder won’t need to stop at a card reader for the card to be read. This high-speed processing allows for high throughput at entry points while securing your premises.

New ID Card Technology Issuing secure oversized badges on demand used to be a complicated process but the latest ID card technology makes it easier than ever. The newest ID card printers for oversized badges are designed to help you create and personalize your badges easily and affordably. With a low cost per card and superior throughput, these printers will definitely bring your security program to the next level.

neXus, an expert in ID card solutions, has recently released 2 printers for oversized badges: the XXL 2.0 and the XCR100 card printers.

The neXus XXL 2.0 ID card printer can personalize cards of 2 different sizes: 4.88” x 3.46” (124mm x 88mm) and 5.51” x 3.46” (140mm x 88mm). The printer can produce up to 180 full cards per hour in color, and up to 1,400 cards per hour in monochrome. It features a Plug & Play driver for Windows and Mac, standard USB, optional Ethernet, a convenient display, multiple encoding options and a two-year warranty.

The neXus XCR100 2.0 ID card printer is the only solution on the market that can personalize CR100 cards (3.88” x 2.63”). These cards are 42% larger than the standard credit card size. Options include contactless encoding, dual-sided module, and Ethernet connectivity.

Issuing durable photo ID badges on demand does not have to be complex or expensive. Start by defining your security requirements with your integrator to find out which ID card solution is right for you. You will be one step closer to keeping everyone safe and secure.

Andrew Schonzeit is the president of Idesco Corp., New York, N.Y.