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Printed RFID cards — Parallax Forums

Printed RFID cards

Nick WaldvogelNick Waldvogel Posts: 71
edited 2007-06-18 23:37 in General Discussion
I would like to print names and possibly a picture on the RFID cards that I purchased from Parallax to make ID cards.· Is there some way to do this at home. ·If there is no real way of doing this, what are the characteristics that I should look at to get them from a source that pre labels the cards??

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Comments

  • Harrison.Harrison. Posts: 484
    edited 2007-06-13 03:39
    Printers that print on card blanks are relatively expensive (> $1000 bucks new). I have worked on Polaroid card printers that use a thermal color ink film + clear varnish to print on iso card blanks. They are expensive to keep going and probably aren't worth it if you are only printing a few cards.

    The easiest way is to glue two cards together (picture id card + rfid tag card). I currently have an ID that has a thicker HID RFID tag that is glued in between two normal printed ID cards.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2007-06-13 05:28
    It would be "interesting" to see if the RFID card could survive a laminator. If so, you could do a printout on ordinary paper, then slide the printout and the card into a laminator pocket and seal 'em all together.

    -Phil
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2007-06-13 06:50
    What about sanding the front of the card with a very fine grit?

    And maybe give it a thin coat of primer.

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    Don't visit my new website...
  • Nick WaldvogelNick Waldvogel Posts: 71
    edited 2007-06-13 13:34
    Harrison-· Yes, I have looked at the card specific printers and even a used on on Ebay is rather expensive.· Maybe if I keep watching the "perfect" one will show up!!·smilewinkgrin.gif·
    ·
    Phil-· It's interesting that you brought up the laminator!!· We tried to do that yesterday.· I will say that the card does work after sending it through.· You have to send the card through about 6 times to get it to seal well, due to the thickness of the card.· I am also in need of a new laminator after the 8th card....· shocked.gif· LOL it got stuck and melted to the rollers!!!· Lets just say that that card does not work anymore.·lol.gif· Does anyone know how hot a laminator gets??· I have a heat press and it would be nice to know what temp to start at.
    ·
    Gadgetman- I will try your idea today and let you know how it turns out!· I wonder if I sand the card, transfer on a image with transfer paper and then coat it with lacquer or clear paint?? idea.gif

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  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2007-06-13 15:38
    What I might have tried is to print labels (including pictures) on clear sticker stock then cut them to fit just inside the perimeter of the rectangular tag. Then I would seal it using clear-coat.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,547
    edited 2007-06-13 16:19
    Would a laser printer with a CD tray work if the tray was modified to accept an RFID tag? We have a Epson printer with a CD tray for printing that keeps the CD stationary.


    On a similar note in answer to Phil's question... (If you back-light the RFID card with an extremely bright light, you can see the image below) ... It appears that there is only
    a very small 1mm square area of concern, this is the actual RFID chip within the card. Most chips are designed to run in the upper temperature range of 100-125 Deg C. They
    can usually survive temperatures higher than that, but will not operate at the higher temperature extremes.

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    Beau Schwabe

    IC Layout Engineer
    Parallax, Inc.
    RFID.JPG
    449 x 697 - 37K
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2007-06-13 17:08
    Even though card printers are very expensive new, there's always eBay. Search on "card printer" and sort from highest price to lowest. Here's an example.

    Both thermal transfer and dye sublimation involve heat, but not nearly as much as a laminator produces. Also, you will want to make sure that the plastic used in the RFID card is compatible with whichever process you use.

    -Phil
  • Kit MortonKit Morton Posts: 39
    edited 2007-06-18 23:37
    You could use a Iron on T-shirt transfer. I think they would stick. But you would have to be careful not to over heat it with the iron.
    -Kit
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