How does a YMCKO print ribbon work for an id card printer?

Dye sublimation id card machines use a print ribbon that contains panels of color and other needed layers. Each panel passes over the blank card in order until the panel pass is complete and the card contains the colors and overlays necessary to duplicate the design on the card.

The YMC are the three panels of color. Standing for yellow,magenta,and cyan,these panels orderly move over the card and provide the amount of color necessary to produce a full color image where needed and other colors desired according to the badge design.

Once the color has been placed on the card,the K panel of the id card printer ribbon passes over the card to provide resin black printing for black text and bar codes.

Using a YMCKO ribbon,the card is completed after the o panel has been applied to the card. This overlay panel is a clear protective panel that covers the colors on the badge.

Dye Sublimation vs Thermal Transfer

Thermal transfer printing and dye sublimation printing are used in both direct to card printers and retransfer printers. Direct to card printers merge the image directly on the surface of the card. Retransfer printing deposits the image on the back of a clear plastic film. This film is then bonded to the surface of a plastic card. Retransfer printing is the newest of these printing types and results in a better image result. The card design is applied to specialized cards and does not require a perfectly smooth card as the direct to card printers require.

Thermal Transfer Printing

Thermal printing is when resin or ink is melted off of a printer ribbon and is directly transferred to the retransfer film or the surface of the card. To melt the ink,a print head is used. The print head has heated pins that are aligned across a ceramic plate. In the correct sequence,the pins in the print head receive instructions to heat and release ink at just the right moment. The desired digital image created in the software is recreated on the card or ribbon.

Colored prints require the use of Y,M and C panels. As each panel passes over the card,dots of color are released resulting in the completed image. The K panel produces needed black printing on the card. Dithering allows the dots of different colors to be placed close together to create a blended shade when observed.

Monochrome printing is also available. This single color ribbon produces clear results with standard text and with bar codes. Monochrome printing is completed at high speeds and is often used to customize a preprinted card. The thermal ribbons provide durable print that resists fading. The resin dries quickly.

Dye Sublimation

Sublimation is when a solid is heated directly into a gaseous state. The solid bypasses the liquid state during heating. With this printing,the dye is heated to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit while the polymers in the PVC card are heated to 350 degrees. The gaseous dye penetrates the plastic and as the card cools,the dye chemically bonds with the plastic card.

Crisp,sharp images are printed with dye sublimation printing. Photographic images are printed with accuracy. The higher heat levels allow more dye to be released into the card surface. The result is the colors blend into a pleasing result as there is control over the opacity and transparency of the printing result.

Colors in this printing method are applied one panel at a time- the Y,M and C. This type of print is prone to fading when exposed to UV rays from the sun. Often a UV resistant topcoat is recommended to help protect the dye printed cards.

Re-Transfer Printing Technology

ReTransfer Printing is an amazing technology that allows you to print FULL COLOR, FULL BLEED IMAGES in perfect color without the pitfalls of traditional dye sublimation card printing.

Traditional "dye sub" card printing requires that the print head of the card printer print directly onto the card material through the printer ribbon. This process is efficient, inexpensive and allows the card printer to move the material directly under the print head for printing.

This method of printing always leaves a very thin white border around the card as the print head cannot adequately print completely out to the edge of the card without risking serious damage to the print head. Depending upon the printer this can leave a "border" of up to 1/32nd of an inch around the edge of the card.

ReTransfer printers have two consumable components:

The first is the Printer Ribbon: This ribbon comes in YMCK (Yellow, Magenta, Cyan and Black Resin) format and is used to print all of the images on your card by mixing these colors in a Dye Sublimation process.

The Second component is the Transfer Film. Rather than printing directly on the card itself, the ReTransfer printer prints a reverse image on the laminate transfer film and then bonds this material to the face of the card. Since the ReTransfer Film is slightly larger than the size of a standard CR-80 card it is possible to print over the entire surface area of the PVC card without the pesky white border that is required on all other dye sublimation printers.

Additional advantages of the ReTransfer process:

Durability of Card is substantially improved by bonding the substrate film with the card material. The ReTransfer process encapsulates the printed image within a bond of extremely durable material and increases the card life substantially. Additional security overlays may be adhered on top of the bonding film to increase durability and improve security. Custom secure holographic overlays are available for use with the ReTransfer printers sold by Smart Card Supply.

Cost savings are seen in the reduced wear and tear on the print heads. Since the printer is printing on a substrate material (film) that is very thin and strong there is less wear on the print head because there is very little variation in size or texture on the surface area of the film. Since the film is a standard thickness the print head does not have to move to accommodate thickness variations in the cards.

Consistency of Printing is a result of the process that prints directly on the transfer film. Each print is extremely high quality and there is little variation in the print quality because of the way that the film and ribbons are loaded into the printing chamber. Once the film has the reverse image embedded, it is then laminated to the PVC material. In a traditional printer there are several variables that affect the print quality including card size variations, edge smoothness, foreign material on the card surface, ribbon tightness and as the ribbon is used there is a tendency of the ribbons to stretch or move slightly out of alignment. This is not the case with ReTransfer printing as this process is very tightly controlled.