Barcodes and Data Rubbing Off Cards Printed with Zebra Card Printer

Symptom

Barcodes and other printed data on your cards is rubbing off or fading too quickly.

Applies To

All Zebra Card Printers

Cause or Overview

Consistent abrasion from swiping the card is typically the cause of this issue.

Solution

If your barcode is rubbing off in the swiping barcode reader, your barcode may:

• Have been printed by using resin black in (the "K" panel) or may have been printed with resin black with a varnish overlay ("K" plus "O" panels). In both cases, there is limited resistance to abrasion. The varnish overlay panel is not a suitable protection against the mechanical abrasion of a swiping reader system. The "O" panel is primarily intended to provide protection against fading caused by exposure to UV light, not as protection against abrasion.
• If your cards are going to be subjected to swiping or frequent physical use, then we recommend the Zebra ZXP 7 or ZXP series 8 models. These printers laminate the card with a 0.6 mil or 1.0 mil over-laminate patch on the card surface, and the patch is specifically intended to provide protection against abrasion and repeated physical use.
• Another alternative to protecting the cards from constant rubbing or swiping are "hand-applied" laminates. These laminates can be hand applied to any card without the use of a laminator, they protect the cards in the same manner that a laminated patch would on a card. The part number for these hand-applied laminates is (P/N 800015-035). The kit contains a quantity of 500. Their size is approximately 84mm x 52mm, 2 mil thickness and will have the Genuine-Secure hologram design in them. They can be purchased through your reseller.

Helpful information

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