As many of you may already know, Polaroid discontinued their line of 669 film and it is no longer available. You may still be able to track down some old packages online, but it isn’t being manufactured anymore. The replacement that we are using for our Polaroid 669 cameras is FujiFilm FP-100C. It is a direct fit replacement.

Many people have asked me how the quality compares. Polaroid was known for making high quality instant film. From what I have seen, the FujiFilm FP-100C quality is just as good as the Polaroid 669 film and seems to hold up just as well. Each cartridge holds 10 film sheets.

This should come as some relief to many of you who have instant film cameras that used Polaroid 669. We have been selling FujiFilm FP-100C for over a year now as a replacement and there are absolutely no complaints from our customers. None whatsoever.

You can find our FujiFilm FP-100C cartridges by going here. Do you still have questions about Polaroid 669 film and FujiFilm FP-100C? Call us at 1-800-658-8788 to speak with one of our photo ID specialists.

Many businesses, schools and organizations use ID cards on a daily basis. It is a safe and secure practice. These badges often include text, a photograph and other details. So what is the best way to display your ID card? One of the best ways to do this is by using an ID badge holder. So what kind of ID badge holder should you use?

There are several different types of ID badge holders available. The type of badge holder you use will depend on the size of card you are using. You will typically find badge holders made from vinyl or hard plastic. While most badge holders are clear, many are also available in colored designs. Badge holders also come in vertical and horizontal designs, depending on the way your ID is positioned.

Not only does a badge holder make it easier to present a badge, but they also help preserve and ID card by cutting down on damaging scratches.

Types of badge holders:

ID Badge Holders with Pins – Badge holders with pins are designed to be immediately pinned to a shirt, blouse, suite or other article of clothing. This style of ID badge holder is probably the least common used today, but is still commonly found at trade shows and conventions.

ID Badge Holders with Slots – ID badges with slots are designed to be used in conjunction with a lanyard or a badge strap clip. These are probably the most common types of ID badge holder used today. You can find our great selection of lanyards here and our badge strap clips here.

ID Badge Holders with Clips – Some vinyl ID badge holders are available with built-in alligator and metal clips. These types of ID badge holders aren’t as common as slotted badge holders. Clips, unlike pins, can be attached to almost anything.

Regardless of what kind of ID card you or your business are using, you can benefit from using an ID badge holder. You will find our entire selection of ID badge holders here.

Lost or delayed luggage now surpasses 14,000 bags a day. This statistic only applies to airline luggage. Luggage can also be lost on the train, in a taxi, on a bus and much more. It is very important to make sure your luggage is properly identified. One way of doing this is by using a luggage tag.

Luggage tags are available in a variety of formats. At ABC Office we even sell luggage tag size lamination pouches with pre-punched slots (found here). So how do you keep a luggage tag properly attached to a bag? This is typically done by use of luggage tag loops and straps.

At ABC Office, we offer three different types of luggage tag loops. These are beaded metal luggage tag loops, leather straps and vinyl plastic luggage tag loops. All three of these styles are attractive and hold up well.

Types of Luggage Tag Loops:

Plastic - These luggage tag loops are available in multiple colors and clear designs. Plastic loops blend in well with existing furniture without drawing too much attention.

Leather - Leather luggage tag loops and straps have a very regal and professional look to them. Leather luggage loops feature a buckle adjustment mechanism.

Metal - Metal luggage loops are some of the most common used today. These are beaded metal loops and look very similar to lamp and fan chains.

Whether you have colorful or leather luggage, you can benefit from using a luggage tag. You can find our entire selection of luggage tag loops here.

Digital ID card printers are pretty easy to use and don’t require a lot of babysitting, but they do occasionally have their issues that need attending to. There are a lot of preventative things you can do to cut down on printing problems and if you do experience a problem, the fix is usually pretty simple.

Here is a list of the most common problems our customers experience with their ID card printers. Printers do, however, vary in functionality, so these solutions may or may not work for your model.

Digital ID Card Printer Troubleshooting & Repair Tips

Colors seem to be off - While the printing ability of and ID card printer is pretty accurate, the color on your monitor may not always match up with what your printer prints. You may need to adjust the colors in the printer software to better match the colors you are trying to print.

Printed image colors are not aligned – Often removing the printer ribbon and putting it back in will allow the printer to cycle and re-align the panels to print correctly.

Images turn out fuzzy and unclear – This is usually a result of the print head being dirty. Most printers have cleaning cards or pens that can be used to clean the thermal print head.

The prints look bad - Make sure your blank ID cards are clean of dust and do not touch the surface of the blank cards with your finger. Dust and oil from hands can cause poor printing.

The printer ribbon keeps breaking – This is often due to a dirty thermal print head, causing the ribbon to stick to the print head. Cleaning the print head should fix this. This issue is especially prominent when printing full-color (edge-to-edge) ID cards.

Can I re-use a broken ribbon? - The broken ribbon can still be re-used. Use some scissors to cut the broken edge and us scotch tape to re-connect the ribbon with the waste roller. The printer will usually cycle the ribbon and be able to use it again.

Printer panels are incorrect - So your blue is printing red and colors are out of whack. This problem often arises when your printer settings are set for the incorrect ribbon type. An example would be someone using a YMCKO ribbon in the printer but the computer is set up for a YMCK ribbon. Setting up the computer for the correct ribbon will usually fix this.

The printer misfeeds blank PVC cards – This can be a result of the friction roller being dirty or needing to be replaced. Most ID card printers use a friction roller to grab and pull the blank card in. These friction rollers can be cleaned of dust. If that doesn’t work, replacement rollers are usually pretty cheap.

Still having problems with your ID card printer? No worries. We have a Service Department that can get you replacement parts or repair the printer. They can service Fargo, Eltron / Zebra, Polaroid, Magicard, CIM, Evolis and more. You can reach our Service Department by calling 1-800-658-8788 x129 or by filling out this form. Need a new or replacement ID card printer? You can find our entire selection of digital ID card printers here.

We just recently added the Fargo HDP5000 id card printer to our site a few days ago. While most ID card printers operate in a similar way, the HDP5000 does a few things that really separate itself apart from the competition. Here are a few things I have noticed.

First off, this printer claims to produce high definition printing. What does this mean? Well, apart from the marketing lingo, it means this printer can create some of the most realistic and crisp images available in digital ID card printing today. In technical terms, this printer can print up to 16.7 million colors at 256 shades per pixel.

This printer prints the image, text and other data onto a layer that is then fuzed to the target card’s surface. Why is this important? Because it means the Fargo HDP5000 can print on uneven surfaces, such as cards with embedded electronics. The technical jargon for this is HDP® dye-sublimation / resin thermal transfer.

The Fargo HDP5000 is available in several variations, depending on the type of card you will be printing and the quantity you will be printing. This printer is available in a single and double-sided design and available in a standard or overlaminate design. The overlaminate coating, available on the LC versions, helps to prevent image wear and extends the life of the ID card / security badge.

You can view all versions of the new Fargo HDP5000 ID card printer here.

We are proud to announce the addition of the Fargo DTC550 ID card printer. This printer comes in nine different variations. This includes single sided, double sided, printers capable of encoding magnetic stripes and models that include a lamination cartridge.

Fargo has been around for well over a decade and makes some of the most renowned ID card printer available today. The color and image sharpness looks lifelike, allowing for edge to edge printing without any issues.

Fargo ID card printers can be used to create ID cards, badges, novelty cards and much more. ID card software is so easy to use now that creating an ID badge template can be done by just about anyone.

You can view the new Fargo DTC-Series printers by going to these following links:

• Fargo DTC550 Single Sided
• Fargo DTC550 Single Sided with Lamination Cartridge
• Fargo DTC550 Double Sided
• Fargo DTC550 Double Sided with Lamination Cartridge

In a post 9/11 world, businesses and organizations are upping security more than ever. Unfortunately it is a necessary reality. An integral part of security is the ID badge or security card.

These pieces of identification are often presented at entryways, used to log in and out of work, access rooms and much more. Keeping these cards in a wallet obscures them and makes them difficult to use and access. This is where the lanyard comes into play.

Lanyards are usually designed to be attached to an ID card and be worn around the neck, although this is not always the case. Lanyards typically attach directly to the card, through a slot-punched hole, or to a badge holder with a specially designed hole or slot.

Lanyards come in a wide range of colors, shapes and designs. Many even include a breakaway design in case the lanyard becomes suck in machinery.

At ABC Office, we sell four different types of lanyards.

• The first, and most common style is the neck lanyard.
• The second style is the wrist lanyard, which (surprise) is worn around the wrist. Wrist lanyards usually consist of plastic coils (like a phone cord) that attach to an ID card.
• The third type of lanyard is the key ring lanyard, which allows you to attach an ID card to your key ring. Key ring lanyards are ideal for use with smaller key cards and ID cards.
• The fourth type of lanyard, or retainer, we sell is the eyeglass lanyard. This lanyard is not designed to hold an ID card, but rather eyeglasses and safety glasses.

You can find our entire selection of badge lanyards here.

Creating photo ID cards isn’t complicated. In fact, it only takes minutes to create a template and seconds to print a card. Modern day ID card printers create photo IDs that look better and last longer than ever before. This certainly beats the old days of printing out a card and laminating it. Learn more about photo ID in 2009 by reading this mini guide.

What are ID cards printed on? Photo ID card printers print on plastic PVC cards, typically CR-80 (credit card size). These cards are typically white, but don’t have to be. Card thicknesses are typically available in 30 mil and 10 mil. Thirty-mil cards are the thickness of a credit card. A mil is one thousandth of an inch. You can find our blank PVC cards here.

What kind of cartridges / ribbons do ID card printers use? Most ID card printers use a printing process called dye sublimation printing in which a thermal print head burns the image onto the card. This usually consists of a ribbon with several colored panels that are combined to create a full-color image. The ribbons consist of YMCK (Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black) panels. The YMCKO ribbons contain an overlay panel, which prevents scratches and increases the life of the card. Monochrome ribbons are available for single-color printing. Some printers are only capable of monochrome printing. You can find our ribbons here.

Is software required? ID card software is necessary to create a template for printing. This could involve text, logos and photographs. There are many different types of ID software available and vary depending on the volume of cards being printed, if any type of encoding / bar code is required and if database management is needed for keeping track of and re-printing cards. Many ID card printers will now include a basic software package to get you up and going. You can find our ID card software here.

Can I encode magnetic stripes, smart cards and proximity cards? This all depends on the printer you are using and the software you are using. Many printers come with the ability to encode mag stripes, smart cards and proximity cards. This capability often has to be installed in the factory, so be sure to check prior to making a purchase.

Can all printers create double-sided printing? We sell single sided printers and double-sided printers. Single sided printers are primarily designed to only print one side of a card, where double-sided printers print both sides of a card in one pass. Double-sided printing can be done on a single-sided printer, but requires the card to be re-inserted the other way to print the other side. This is slower than a double-sided printer and there is a chance of the card being scratched as it is run through twice.

What are the major ID printer brands? The most common brands available today are Fargo, Eltron, Magicard, Evolis and Polaroid.

Regardless of the ID card route you plan to go with, you should stop by our site and view our entire selection of ID card printers, supplies and accessories here!