Features
What Is a Retransfer Card Printer?
Simply through their names we are able to tell the main difference between a direct card printer and a retransfer thermal card printer. The name “retransfer” refers to the transferring of the image from the transfer film onto the cards. The printer actually prints the images onto a clear transfer film, which may appear slightly bigger than the actual card size. This allows the image to be large enough to completely cover the standard card size, creating 100% coverage and leaving no white gaps in between.
The diagram on the right shows the Thermal Retransfer process. The thermal print head does not come into direct contact with the cards.
- The image will first be transferred onto a clear re-transfer film.
- The printed film will then be positioned above the card and, with the help of a platen heat roller, it transfers the images from the film directly onto the card.
Since the retransfer printer does not come in direct contact with the cards, it is an ideal choice when it comes to printing onto smart contact/contactless cards. Reason being, these cards often have a slight bump where the chip is embedded and a direct card printer will definitely face many issues. The printhead may not be able to obtain a flat surface since it has to directly come into contact with the card, hence flatness of the surface is crucial in achieving a perfect print. However, due to budget constraints, customers are still willing to take the risk in getting a direct card printer on contactless cards. In cases like this, we usually assist customers on the layout of their design to rearrange printable images away from the position of the chip so as to minimise wastage.
