What is a Retransfer Card Printer?
A retransfer card printer creates a card image through a two-step thermal transfer process, which is why it's known as "reverse transfer" printing.
In the first step, the thermal print head heats and presses against the ink ribbon, transferring the image onto the underside of a clear re-transfer film as it passes over the platen roller so the image is printed onto the film first, in reverse, rather than directly onto the card.
In the second step, the printed film and the blank card are fed together between a heated roller and the platen, where heat and pressure bond the printed layer permanently onto the card surface; the spent base film then peels away, leaving a finished, fully printed card.
Because the thermal print head only ever contacts the film and never the card itself, retransfer printing delivers sharp, vivid, edge-to-edge results with full "over-the-edge" coverage and no white borders. Making it ideal for high-resolution ID cards, membership cards, and smart cards.
