Not All Badge Holders are the same

CardPrintersDirect.com has been supplying over 300 different badge holders to our government customers for some time now. Filtering through the massive collection can be quite daunting even though we break them down into sub categories. So we figured we would share what other government and military organizations are buying.

First and foremost are the FIPS201 Secure Badge Holders : The 1840-5081 and 1840-5080 have been by far are most popular badge holders for government customers. Ever since the US government has released the HSPD-12 NIST Standard, FIPS 201, requiring that Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards, such as those issued through the GSA USAccess Program, be kept in a FIPS 201 compliant Electromagnetically Opaque Sleeve/Card Holder when not in use we have been shipping these on a daily basis.  These two FIPS201 compliant badge holders give our customers a choice between a Vinyl or Rigid Plastic ID holder that allows the user easy access to his cards for access control or log in. In addition these particular badge holders can be customized with the organizations or companies logo.

The second most popular government badge holder has been the Rigid Plastic Colored Series. The popularity is driven by US Military bases needing a rugged 2 card badge holder. Rigid Plastic Badge holders provide a great way to protect name badges or ID cards from bending or damage. In addition, the different colors allow security personnel to visibly detect different departments or ranks.  In addition, these rigid badge holders come in either horizontal or vertical display.  The combination of slot and chain holes allows the military institutions to choose a variety of ways to hand the badge holder, from basic bead chain, lanyards or badge reels.

In addition to the above badge holders we offer 100′s of other styles from low cost convention badge holders to vinylproximity card holders. With that said give us a call at 888-377-2548 and we will guide you through the process of choosing the correct holder for your specific type of ID card or Badge.

New Magicard ID Card Printer

THE NEW RIO PRO – THE PROFESSIONAL’S CHOICE FOR SECURE ID CARD PRINTING

Magicard, the leading manufacturer of ID card printers, announces the launch of the Rio Pro, its new printer for the professional user.

The Rio Pro is an evolutionary replacement for Magicard’s highly popular Rio and Tango printers.  Andy Matko, Director of Magicard, said: “Professional users recognise quality, and the Rio Pro has been designed with this in mind. It is made with high quality components and purpose-built composites, resulting in a superior print quality which is further enriched with our unique HoloKote® watermark feature.  The Rio Pro is backed by our market-leading three year warranty, including a loaner printer service – our promise to keep professionals printing.”

The Rio Pro is packed with features and user choice – users can batch print with the 100-card feeder or print one-offs with the hand-feeder and its clear four-line display provides intelligent user information and interaction.

The Rio Pro is available in single or double-sided printing versions, with a further option, explained by Matko: “With the Rio Pro, you can buy now and choose later. You can start with a single-sided Rio Pro and upgrade to double-sided printing in a few seconds with our simple field upgrade – just drop in our special ribbon and your printer is instantly double-sided.”

Security features include Magicard’s patented HoloKote which adds a watermark to the card during the normal print cycle using existing consumables, enabling extra security at no extra cost. With the Rio Pro, this watermark can be a fully customised security design or logo, delivered using a unique RFID card coupled to the printer. Secure encoding options include magnetic stripe, contactless and smart card technologies.

The Rio Pro is designed and manufactured at Ultra Electronics’ centre of excellence for manufacturing in the United Kingdom and is backed with the market-leading three year UltraCoverPlus warranty.

Shipping from early 2011, the Rio Pro completes Magicard’s new product range, which also includes the entry-level Pronto, the mid-range Enduro, and the reverse transfer Prima 4, all launched over the last 2 years.

NADRA wins Nigerian ID Card Project

ISLAMABAD: National Database and Registration Authority, NADRA has signed a multi-million dollar contract of System Integration Services and issuance of National Identity document to Nigerian Government Agency.

The contract in this regard was signed in a prestigious ceremony held in Abuja, Nigeria between Mr. Gohar Khan, Chief Project Officer NADRA and Mr. Chris Onyemenam, Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Nigeria, for the completion of the back-end of Nigeria Identity Management System.

“This is a landmark achievement that will further strengthen the ties between Pakistan and Nigeria. The system has been indigenously developed by NADRA and its delivery will empower the Government of Nigeria to issue tamperproof and secure Computerized ID Cards to Nigerian citizens” said Chairman NADRA.

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Identity card must to cast vote‎

By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: In a major step towards electoral reforms in Pakistan, the government will soon move a draft law in parliament to make Nadra’s Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) mandatory for voting in elections.

Secretary Election Commission Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan told The News here on Friday that the bill was expected to be moved in the National Assembly during its ongoing session and when enacted would make the old NIC and other documents of identity invalid for voting. “The Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) would be the unique identifier as per the law,” he said.

He explained that on the basis of computerised electoral rolls, a registered voter would be required to produce Nadra’s CNIC to cast the vote. The draft law, he said, had been finalised and sent to the Law Ministry to be moved in parliament for enactment.

Khan said that the draft bill would amend the two existing laws, the Electoral Rolls Act and Representation of Peoples’ Act, to introduce the reforms under which voting would be done on the basis of computerised electoral rolls whereas the voters would have to show the CNIC at the time of voting.

The secretary ECP said that the government was showing extreme keenness to get the draft law passed from parliament at the earliest. He said that the draft law had been prepared by the Election Commission in consultation with Nadra, Interior Ministry, Law Ministry and other stakeholders.

He said that through these reforms, rigging in voting would be comprehensively checked. The computerised electoral rolls would ensure that no voter was registered at two different places whereas the CNIC being the unique identifier would enable only the genuine voter to cast his vote by showing the genuine copy of the Nadra’s ID card.

“It would help resolve the decades old issue of rigged voting,” he said and added that work for the computerised electoral rolls had already been started and in the first step, electoral rolls in four districts, one in each province, had already been completed by the Election Commission with the help of Nadra.

In the second step, he said, the electoral rolls would be computerised all over Pakistan and this process would be completed by the end of 2011. These electoral reforms would set the stage for the next general elections to be held in a manner where fake ID cards would not work. Similarly, those political parties or politicians, who had a large number of old ID cards with them for use for voting would also not work.

Under the new system, the voters’ identity as well as the electoral rolls would be dependent on Nadra’s database, which is considered a remarkable achievement in Pakistan.

According to the secretary ECP, in addition to the above-discussed reforms, the commission is also closely working with the Telephone Industry of Pakistan (TIP) and Science and Technology authorities to introduce electronic voting machines to bring refinement in the electoral system.

Brazil starts to issue new ID cards

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Justice Minister Luiz Paulo Barreto on Thursday joined their countrymen to apply for a new chip-based identity card.

It is a magnetic card with digital printing and an electronic chip that stores information about the card-holder's name, gender, date of birth, photograph, affiliation, place of birth, signature, fingerprint, place and date of issuance and expiration.

The new ID card, using state-of-the-art technology, is designed to avoid repeated indentity registeration in different states, as well as confusions caused by different people with the same name.

Source: Xinhua
The process of replacing all old ID cards with the new ones is expected to take more than a decade in Brazil, with two million Brazilians getting their new ID cards in the next year free of charge.

The cost of the replacement is estimated at 55 million U.S. dollars in 2011, which will be covered by the Justice Ministry. 

Source: Xinhua

HID Global launches suite of contactless payment stickers

HID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, today announced the addition of a convenient yet sturdy mobile sticker format to its family of contactless payment and identification cards.

The stickers make it easier to add closed-loop payment and loyalty systems to existing automatic fare collection or retail systems, or to augment campus identification systems with new access control capabilities. They also can be affixed to mobile phones as a bridge to coming NFC mobile payment services.

Unlike other stickers, HID's sturdy, adhesive-backed stickers include an internal ferrite layer that shields electronics from interference even when attached to items containing metal, such as mobile phones. They come in a breakout ID-1 card format and can be printed with customer information including serial numbers, activation codes, messages, brand elements and/or promotional text and artwork. HID Global offers print customization in low quantities, providing companies with an economical way to extend their brand presence. To meet existing customer environments, HID's contactless payment and identification stickers are available with DESFire®, MIFARE® and iCLASS® technologies, ensuring maximum flexibility in design and use.

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Toppan Printing Launches World's Fastest Card Printers

Toppan Printing Launches World's Fastest Card Printers

Tokyo, Dec 22, 2010 (JCN) - Toppan Printing Co. Ltd has developed the CP500, the world's fastest printers for ID cards, student cards and admission cards. The CP500 maintains the characteristic durability and high security of previous Toppan Printing products as well as the ability to handle items ranging from magnetic cards to contactless cards and contact IC cards, but with improved printing speed.

The CP500's size - 340x320x435mm - is roughly a third of previous models; and its 19kg weight is about half, resulting in a compact and light printer. The CP500 is capable of printing with a resolution of 600dpi for a desktop card printer. Counterfeiting is also difficult due to the use of Toppan Printing's unique pigment ink technology. The company aims to commence sales in August 2011.