Choosing the right type of printer for your event can be challenging as many factors come into determining which qualities will be the most valuable for managing your event.
Before deciding on which printer to utilize for your event, first you want to decide what kind of name badges you want to supply for your event. Do you want paper name badges? Or more durable PVC cards? Do you want to print postcard sized cards? Or smaller ID sized cards?
Look no further, because this article is written just for you!
Plastic (PVC) Cards vs. Paper Cards
- Nature of your event: Printing on plastic (PVC) cards produces more durable name badges that attendees can retain as a keepsake even after the event ends. This can be suitable for notable events, such as concerts, seminars, conferences or trade shows, where PVC cards also add to the excitement of the event. For corporate events such as business conferences or shareholder meetings, PVC cards result in a more professional appearance.
- Duration of your event: For events that last more than a day, printing on more durable PVC cards will be more beneficial to you as an event organizer and for attendees as well. This reduces the risk of damage that attendees can cause to paper name badges, such as creases or getting it wet. Thus, printing on PVC cards can help you avoid having to reprint cards. This also diminishes the necessity of having to purchase plastic badge holders to protect your name badges. You can simply punch a hole in your PVC cards, attach it to a lanyard, and you’re ready to go!
Larger-sized Name Tags vs. Smaller-sized Name Tags
- Visibility: For large events, printing on larger-sized cards can help security details as the card allows for easier identification from a far distance. For event organizers, printing on larger-sized cards also allows for easier identification in case attendees need to be separated into groups, and helps the event management team to recognize when an attendee is in the wrong area and needs to be re-directed to the right place. One more advantage is that you can easily market your event or brand name! The larger your company logo or event details are visible, the better.
- Cost-effectiveness: Smaller-sized cards can be the more economical choice for planning low-budget events. They take up less ink for printing and are also more portable. On the other hand, small ID-sized cards can also be more suitable for trendier and upscale events as smaller cards will look more sleek.
Now that you’ve decided on the type of name badge you want to print, let’s move on to selecting the right printer to meet your needs!
Types of Name Badge Printers
Brother QL-720NW Printer
This professional, high-speed label printer comes with built-in ethernet and wireless networking, perfect for printing cost-effective paper labels! It can print up to 93 labels per minute and in high resolution (300 x 600 dpi). The printer uses direct thermal printing mechanism with easy drop-in tape rolls, which means that no ink or toner is required. However, this also means that the printer can only print in black. The machine is simple to use and automatically recognizes the roll size and adjusts the label template accordingly. It also has an automatic cutter. Not to mention, it’s exceedingly portable!
Recommendations: We recommend this printer for hosting simple events. This is one of our most frequently rented printer as it is extremely portable, easy to set-up, and cost-effective. One method our clients have utilized this printer is by sticking the name badges generated by this printer onto pre-printed badges that feature the event details. This cuts down printing time, money, and reduces the attendees’ wait time immensely!
Max label dimensions: 2.4″ x 3″ | Printer dimensions: 5″ x 9.3″ x 6″
Zebra ZD500 Thermal Transfer Desktop Printer
This printer is ideal for small-label printing of text and graphics. It prints on event badges (it can print two-sided badges too!) which feature precision perforations between each badge, allowing for easy separation for speedy badge assembly. It can also print labels on wristbands. It can print up to 4″ per second in high resolution (300 dpi). The high-resolution printer is also compact, making it easily portable, manageable and maintainable from any location.
Recommendations: We recommend this printer for large-scale conferences and exhibitions since it supports fast-speed label badge printing. Labels generated by this printer can be customized for various sizes (4″x 3″, 4″x 6″, etc.) with folding and perforated as well as pre-designed sponsor logos. The printer’s flexible printing abilities also allows it to print on wristbands, which will be suitable for events such as music festivals, as well as personalized tickets.
Max print width: 4.09″ | Printer dimensions: 7.5″ x 7.6″ x 10″
Epson Color Inkjet Printer
This compact, wireless printer is perfect for printing colored name badges that can fit into A6-sized name badge holders. The printer is able to print in very high resolution (5760 x 1440 dpi) and at a high speed of 27 badges per minute! However, it’s larger dimensions make it less portable than the Brother and Zebra printers. As it is a full color printer, it also requires the understanding of replacing cartridges.
Note: When selecting your inkjet printer, make sure that it can be adjusted to print on A6-sized paper! We use the Epson Expression Home XP 245 for our events.
Recommendations: We recommend this printer for major events, such as conferences and exhibitions. It is compatible with high-quality colored printing on thick paper stock. The comprehensive printing capabilities of this printer result in more impressionable name badges that can add a special feel to events. This would be a great alternative to supplying more professional-looking name badges at a cheaper rate than PVC cards.
Label dimensions 3.4″ x 5.2″ | Printer dimensions: 15.4″ x 11.8″ x 5.7″
Evolis Primacy Card Printer
If you’re looking to print PVC cards, this printer is for you! The Primacy printer is very fast, powerful, efficient, and is adapted to printing in batches as it personalizes cards in record time: it can print 225 multi-color cards per hour and a staggering 1,000 monochrome cards per hour! It can also print double-sided. The large capacity of the feeder and hopper can each hold 100 cards, which reduces the frequency of reloading cards. Finally, the Primacy printer prints your cards in a high photographic resolution (300 x 600 dpi for color printing and 300 x 1200 dpi for monochrome printing).
Recommendations: We recommend this printer for corporate events, or small to medium-capacity special events. Because of the durable nature of PVC cards, you can simply punch a hole through it and attach it to a lanyard! Although PVC cards might be a little bit on the costly side, the VIP event experience that it offers attendees surpasses the extra cost.
Card dimensions: 3.375″ x 2.125″ | Printer dimensions: 9.72″ x 8.07″ x 14.99″
Conclusion
With many different types of printers in the market, finding the right printer to fit the needs of your event can be a challenge. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for consultation when planning for your event! You can also learn more about our event badge printing service here.
Contact us:
Email: hello@eventnook.com
Phone: +65 6681-6571
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About EventNook:
EventNook is an online event registration & ticketing platform where organizers can set up and customize their very own event page. Through it, organizers can collect attendees’ information and their payment using a real-time dashboard. Features such as Automated Email Confirmation and QR Code Check-In make the job of event organizers much easier and more efficient. Recently, EventNook launched an Event Venues Directory which provides information on more than 5,000 venues in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Hong Kong, making it one of the best places on the web to look for venues in South East Asia.
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