The first thing that you should be considered in the layout of an identification card is what are all the visual elements. The static elements on your card, like your company logo, or perhaps some kind of a background image, are a great opportunity for your organization to present itself in a professional and visually appealing way. If the purpose of a card is for security purposes, there is no reason that it can’t also look good to anyone wearing them as this reinforces the organization’s brand.
Though it is possible to use any graphics design program to design an ID card, most companies use an ID card issuance program to make their ID badge to get the quality they are looking for. Though they are designed to be easy-to-use programs, there are a few tips and tricks that are worth knowing that can help you be successful in every aspect of card design.
The first thing to know is that these programs, though they are all simple graphic design programs, are not used for CREATING artwork. They are much more for PLACING artwork that was prepared outside the program. With that in mind, here are some criteria to make sure the artwork you want to place looks good and is ready to go;
- There are a large number of image formats you may have heard of; .bmp, .gif, and .tiff just to name a few. Card design software is meant to be simple to use and integrate. To help ensure that the programmers made them work best with .jpgs. This is the most common file format, and easiest to create. Make sure you are using jpg to be sure your card program will have no problems reading your files.
- The dimensions of a standard size CR80 card are 2 1/8 inches by 3 3/8 inches. If you want to do an image that covers the entire card, those are the dimensions. Anything larger than that can be shrunk to the appropriate size. Anything smaller will need to be stretched, which might make it look fuzzy, depending on the quality of the original image.
- If you are planning to use oversized credentials for events you will likely need graphics that are 3.5″ x 5.5″. Be aware that most oversized card printers do not print all the way to the edge so it can be helpful if your design incorporates a thin white border on all four sides.
- Keep in mind with the dimensions above that the card shape is a rectangle with rounded corners. Anything that is not the same rectangle shape may require trimming off of the top or side to get the right proportions.
- For images expected to cover the entire card, be aware that many ID badge printers are not able to print all the way to the edge of the card. Incorporate a thin white border or avoiding dark color on multiple edges will help your design look better once printed on a card.
- For all images, large or small, your printer can print at least 300 DPI. This refers to the quality of the image. The more DPI, which stands for “dots per inch” the sharper the printed image. The human eye can see a density of up to 300 DPI. The internet typically uses only 72 DPI, to keep file sizes small, and because your computer screen has extra features in it that can “smooth out” an image and make it look better. Your printer won’t have that same feature, however, so using a logo you found on the company website, for example, won’t yield very good results.
In summary;
- Use JPGs for your images, of at least 300 DPI to ensure sharp printing quality.
- Edge to edge images should be 2.125″ x 3.375″ to completely cover the entire background of a CR80 sized card.
- Edge to edge images should be 3.5″ x 5.5″ to completely cover the entire background of most oversized credentials.
Be sure to consider the level of security that your ID card needs. It might include visual security elements, like an embedded hologram or overlaminate, or it might be digital information, like the data in a magnetic stripe or an RFID chip. With over 20 years of industry experience, ADVANTIDGE has been helping institutions create secure, cost-effective identity management solutions. As one of the top solution providers for the industry’s most respected security manufacturers, Advantidge is committed to ensuring that every client receives the right solution for their specific needs with our expert consultative approach.