ID Cards

ID Cards.
Everyone has them right? So I’m fairly certain you’ve never given a second thought to what goes into your ID badge. I mean it’s just that card you carry at work with the really unflattering picture of your first day, right? Nope. That’s not the case at all.

ID cards serve a wide variety of purposes other than hanging on your belt and showing that you are in fact an employee of this company or a student at that school. They add a layer of security through barcodes, mag (magnetic) stripes, and proximity access cards.

Let me break this down for you.
• Mag stripes are the same ones that you find on the back of your credit or debit card. They can be coded and used with a number of readers to control access to building or rooms. These are the cards you swipe through the reader
• Proximity Access cards (or Prox cards) transmit a signal to a card reader by just touching the card to it or by just being near to the reader. There are special badge holders that block this signal when you don’t want it transmitted.

Once you have the card type chosen you need to look at accessories. Does your card have a slot? How often do people need to access their card?

If your card has a slot, and your employees use them often, your best choice is a badge reel. These come with a clear strap on one end that will clip right on to your card. The clear strap is attached to a retractable cord allowing some freedom of movement without constantly fussing with putting the card away. The other half of a badge reel will clip nicely onto a pocket or belt and keep your ID on hand but out of the way.

The other nice option would be a lanyard to hold it in place. Lanyards come with a variety of end fittings that will work with a slotted card.
If you use your card for only identification purposes and it is slotted, a strap clip is the way to go. The bull dog clip end can attach easily and securely to a pocket while the clear strap holds the card in place.

But what if your card isn’t slotted? No worries! There are still plenty of options.
You choice here should probably start with a badge holder. This can be one that blocks prox signals or just a flexible clear one. The badge holder provides a slot and chain holes but it can be a little clumsy if you need to swipe your card often. In those situations a half holder is perfect! This securely holds your card but still allows the mag stripe to be swiped.

Along with the badge holders the badge reels, lanyards, and strap clips mentioned above work great.
So what’s the point? There is a lot that goes into your ID badge. Don’t even get me started on printer choices or we will be here all day. Hopefully this either helped explain why your company does things the way or does or gave you some new ideas for your IDs.