Commonly-Used Terms in the Identification Industry
The following information is from a variety
of industry sources. If you have any specific questions about
these or any other industry-related terms, please contact
AmerID, Inc. at 888-535-7622 or 612-465-8100.
Access Control - Access
control is a system which enables an authority to control
access to areas and resources in a given physical facility or
computer-based information system. An access control system,
within the field of physical security, is generally seen as
the second layer in the security of a physical
structure. Plastic cards (e.g., those with
magnetic stripe or proximity control technologies) can be used
to gain access to premises.
Barcode- A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation
of data, which shows data about the object to which it
attaches. Originally, barcodes represented data by varying the
widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to
as linear or 1 dimensional (1D). Later they evolved into
rectangles, dots, hexagons and other geometric patterns in 2
dimensions (2D). Although 2D systems use a variety of symbols,
they are generally referred to as barcodes as well. Barcodes
originally were scanned by special–optical scanners called
barcode readers, scanners and interpretive software are
available on devices including desktop printers and
smartphones.
One-dimensional (1-D, linear) - A barcode
consisting of a single row of bars. 1-D barcodes store a
smaller amount of data than two-dimensional barcodes and are
therefore more suited for applications in which only a few
characters are stored. 1-D barcodes store their data in the
horizontal width and the information stored is highly
redundant. They are therefore more resistant to data
degradation.
Two-dimensional (2-D) - 2-D barcodes store more
information than 1-D barcodes and take advantage of both their
horizontal and vertical dimensions to do so. Barcode
Mask - An area on specially-made cardstock where a barcode
can be printed to prohibit unauthorized copying of the
barcode. AmerID stocks 100% PVC graphic quality cards
with red or black barcode masks.
Biometrics -
Biometrics consists of methods for uniquely
recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical
or behavioral traits. In computer science, in particular,
biometrics is used as a form of identity access management and
access control. It is also used to identify individuals in
groups that are under surveillance.
Bluetooth - Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology
standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short
wavelength radio transmissions) from fixed and mobile devices,
creating personal area networks (PANs) with high levels of
security. Created by telecoms vendor Ericsson in 1994,[1] it
was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS-232
data cables. It can connect several devices, overcoming
problems of synchronization.
CR79 Card -
Slightly smaller dimensionally than CR80, and made to fit in
the well of a proximity card. Dimensions are 3.303" x 2.051"
(83.9 mm x 51 mm).
CR80 Card (Standard credit card
size) - Dimensions are 3.375" x 2.125" (85.6 mm x 54
mm).
CR90 Card (Driver's license size) –
Dimensions are 3.63" x 2.37" (92 mm x 60 mm).
CR100
Card (Oversize/military cards) – Dimensions are 3.88" x
2.63" (98.5 mm x 67 mm).
CSV (Comma separated
values) – The comma-separated values file
format is a set of file formats used to store tabular data in
which numbers and text are stored in plain textual form that
can be read in a text editor. Lines in the text file represent
rows of a table, and commas in a line separate what are fields
in the tables row. Different implementations of CSV arise as
the format is modified to handle richer table content such as
allowing a different field separator character (necessary if
numeric fields are written with a comma instead of a decimal
point) or extensions to allow numbers, the separator
character, or newline characters in text
fields.
CardJet Card - A Fargo
Electronics, Teslin-based CR80 card with a surface that is
specially formulated for thermal inkjet printing. CardJet inks
bond to cards and dry instantly, without smearing. CardJet
cards stand up well to abrasion, dye-migration and UV
fading.
CardJet Printing - A discontinued
printing technology by Fargo Persona that uses an HP
inkjet-based print engine to transfer color and monochrome
inks onto specially formulated CardJet cards at 600dpi. This
particular inkjet printing process involves heating the inks
in a chamber. The heat generates vapor bubbles that are
ejected in tiny droplets through nozzles in the ink cartridge.
The droplets form text and images on the printable card
surface which then bond and dry instantly.
Card
Dispenser - A container used to store blank cards in order
to keep them free from dust and debris.
Chip – A
piece of semi-conducting material (usually composed of
silicon) on which an integrated circuit is embedded. Fitted
inside an ID card that is used to store user information and
access privileges, chips also provide added security to
prevent card counterfeiting.
Cleaning Card – A
card that assists in keeping a printer clean and
maintaining the crucial components of the printer including
the printhead, transport rollers and magnetic encoding
station. Many card printer manufacturers recommend cleaning
the printer with a cleaning card each time the ribbon is
replaced. Some have adhesives on them others have an
alcohol solution in them, depending on the components being
cleaned.
Cleaning Roller – Includes an adhesive
surface to gather dust and debris from blank cards. Many
cleaning rollers have a cleaning tape in the assembly that
continuously cleans the cleaning roller. Many card
printer manufacturers recommend replacing the cleaning roller
after every ribbon use.
Cleaning Tape – A
roll of adhesive-lined material used to pick up dust and
debris from blank cards prior to printing. Many are in
contact with a cleaning roller.
Combination
Card (Combi Card) – Contains both contact and contactless
chip technologies on two chips. The contactless could be
a Wiegand card, proximity card, iClass card or other type of
contactless technology.
Composite Card (Comp or
Polyester Composite Card) – A polyester core layered
between PVC material. Stronger and more durable than regular
PVC cards, composite cards are recommended for utilization in
high-usage environments or if lamination is part of one's
particular ID card printing process. AmerID
composite cards are a composition of 40% polyester/PET
and 60% PVC material, cheaper cards are 20% polyester/PET and
80% PVC.
Contact Smart Card - A
smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC), is
any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. There
are two broad categories of ICCs. Memory cards contain only
non-volatile memory storage components, and perhaps dedicated
security logic. Microprocessor cards contain volatile memory
and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic,
generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene or polycarbonate . Smart cards may also
provide strong security authentication for single sign-on
(SSO) within large organizations. Contact smart
cards must be inserted into a card acceptor device where pins
attached to the reader make "contact" with pads on the surface
of the card to read and store information on the chip.
Contactless Smart Card (Proximity Card/Prox
Card) - A smart card, chip card, or
integrated circuit card (ICC), is any pocket-sized card with
embedded integrated circuits. There are two broad categories
of ICCs. Memory cards contain only non-volatile memory storage
components, and perhaps dedicated security logic.
Microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and
microprocessor components. The chip is
connected to an antenna (rather than contact pads as in
contact smart cards). The communication between the chip and
the reader is therefore wireless.
Cut and Paste
- Refers to the very manual and outdated process of creating
ID cards. This process involves taking a photo, manually
cropping it and sticking it onto a card and then laminating it
with a thermal laminator.
DPI (Dots per Inch) -
Dots per inch (DPI) is a measure of spatial
printing or video dot density, in particular the number of
individual dots that can be placed in a line within the span
of 1 inch (2.54 cm). The DPI value tends to correlate with
image resolution, but is related only
indirectly.
Database ID Software -
Software that allows the saving and storage of cardholder
records and data in a database.
Digital Camera -
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or
still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via
an electronic image sensor. Most 21st century cameras are
digital. Images are transferred to a computer
with a USB cable, memory card or wireless.
Digital
Imaging - Scanning an other means of capturing images
which may subsequently be edited, filed, displayed or printed.
Direct-to-Card (DTC) Printing - The printing of
digital images directly onto any plastic card with a smooth,
clean, glossy PVC surface.
Dual Interface -
Typicall a CR80 card that combines both contact and
contactless chip technologies, using the same chip. The chip
is connected to the contact pad on the top of the card and the
antenna inside the card.
Duplex (Dual-Sided) -A
printer that can print on both sides of a card, usually
in a single pass.
Dye Sublimation (Dye Sub) -
The print process ID card printers use to print photo quality
images. Dye-sublimation printing
lays one color at a time, the dye being stored on a cellophane
ribbon that has each color on a separate panel.
The color panels are grouped in a repeating
series of four separate colors along the length of the ribbon:
yellow, magenta,cyan and black (YMCK). During the printing cycle, the printer rollers will
move the medium and one of the colored panels together under a
thermal printing head, which is the same width as the shorter
dimension of the ID card. Tiny heating elements on the head
change temperature rapidly, laying different amounts of dye
depending on the amount of heat applied. After being heated
into a gas, the dye diffuses onto the card and solidifies.
After the printer finishes covering the medium in one color,
it winds the ribbon on to the next color panel and partially
ejects the medium from the printer to prepare for the next
cycle. The entire process is repeated five times in total: the
first four lay the colors onto the medium to form a complete
image, while the last one lays the laminate over top. This
layer protects the dye from resublimating when handled or
exposed to warm conditions.
Edge-to-Edge - The maximum printable area
on a card. Printers with edge-to-edge printing
capability can print to the edge of a card resulting in
printed cards with virtually no
border. Most ID card print standard CR80
cards edge-to-edge. This is not considered the same as
full bleed printing.
Encoding - The process of
electronically "writing" information into a card.
This can be on magnetic stripes, contact smart cards,
proximity card or into a variety of smart card types.
These card types hold information such as access
privileges and card holder details.
Ethernet
Interface - A local area network (LAN) architecture that
supports data transfer at varying high speeds.
Fingerprint Capture Device (Fingerprint Reader,
Fingerprint Scanner) - A form of biometrics in which a
scanner is used to identify a person's fingerprint for
security purposes. After a sample is taken, access is granted
if the fingerprint matches the stored sample.
Font- In typography, a
font (also fount) is traditionally defined as a quantity of
sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and
style of a particular typeface. For example, the set of all
characters for 9-point Bulmer italic is a font, and the
10-point size would be a separate font, as would the 9-point
upright. After the introduction of computer fonts based
on fully scalable outlines, a broader definition evolved. Font
is no longer size-specific, but still refers to a single
style. Bulmer regular, Bulmer italic, Bulmer bold and Bulmer
bold italic are four fonts but one typeface. However, this
distinction is often ignored by non-typographers, who often
instead use font as a synonym for typeface.
Full Bleed -Full
bleed is printing from one edge of the paper to the other
without the standard borders by which most personal printers
are limited. This is useful for printing brochures, posters,
and other marketing materials. Often the paper is trimmed
after printing to ensure the ink runs fully to the edge and
does not stop short of
it.
Guilloche Pattern (Fine Line
Design) - A guilloché is an
ornamental pattern formed of two or more curved bands that
interlace to repeat a circular design. Guilloche
patterns produce an illusion of motion when viewed at certain
angles and therefore can be verified by the naked eye but not
reproduced via a scanner, copy machine, or desktop
printer.
Half Panel YMCKO Ribbon -
Consists of half of the normal size yellow (Y), magenta (M)
and cyan (C) color panels, but full panels of the
black/monochrome (K) and clear overlay (O). This ribbon allows
twice the normal ribbon yield than the standard YMKCO ribbon
at a lower cost per card. YMCKO half panel ribbon is suited
for cards where a color ID picture is needed, along with some
background black resin text, logo or barcode printing.
Examples of what this ribbon can be used for include student
ID cards, employee ID cards and driver's licenses.
High Coercivity (HiCo) - Magnetic coding on a
magnetic stripe. HiCo stripes are usually encoded at 2750
Oersted(occasionally at 4000 Oersted). HiCo magnetic
stripes are generally black and store information on a more
secure basis than low coercivity magnetic stripes due to the
higher level of magnetic energy required to encode them.
Information is harder to erase on HiCo cards; therefore, they
are common in applications where cards are swiped often and
require a long life (e.g., credit card applications and
building access).
High Definition Printing
(HDP) - A term used by Fargo Electronics/HID.
This process involves the printing a full color
image onto a clear HDP transfer film. The HDP film
is then fused to the card through heat and pressure via a
heated roller. This technology enhances card durability and
consistently produces the best card color available - even on
tough-to-print matte-finished cards, proximity cards and smart
cards. This is also known as re-transfer
printing.
Hologram - A
three-dimensional representation in photographic form,
recorded on film by a reflected laser beam of a subject
illuminated by part of the same laser beam. The
photographic printing provides a three dimensional (3D)
effect on a flat surface. Holograms cannot be easily
copied and are used for visual security and aesthetic purposes
on cards. Holograms are usually applied to ID cards as
laminates, but they can also be built into blank card stock.
HoloKote - A Magicard patented card watermark
technology; Magicard printers print a HoloKote watermark into
the card overlay layer during printing.
HoloMark - A Fargo brand card that is
tamper-evident, instantly verifiable 3-D image in a high
resolution hologram embedded onto a card. Fargo standard and
custom HoloMark cards provide an added level of protection
against ID counterfeiting. HoloMark cards are for use with
Fargo Direct-to-Card (DTC) series card printers/encoders.
(Sample custom HoloMark card)
HoloMark Seal - A
Fargo-brand peel-and-stick 3-D seal that if removed from a
card, is not reusable. A checkerboard pattern will appear to
indicate both the card and the seal have been tampered with.
The HoloMark seal is a quick, economical way to add a level of
security to an existing card.
HoloPatch - A
unique Magicard visible gold patch built into blank card
stock; HoloPatch works with HoloKote to highlight one of the
HoloKote watermarks, providing daylight-visible ID card
security. (Sample card with HoloKote and HoloPatch)
Hopper - A device that holds cards
at input and output. Hoppers hold card stock as
they are fed and ejected from the ID card printer.
Interface - A connection standard for
transferring data that's recognized by all PCs or Macintosh
computers. For example, a parallel printer port (IEEE
1284) is a common interface found on virtually all PCs
for transferring data from the computer to a printer.
The parallel printer port has mostly been replaced by the USB
port.
International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) - In the ID card printing market for
instance, ISO defines specifications for magnetic stripe
encoding. Printer encoders generally support dual high/low
coercivity and tracks 1, 2 and 3. Please check printer
specifications.
Key FOB - A security token that
can be attached to a keychain, that has an antenna to
interface with a reader. Usually used for security
access.
JIS II - Japanese Industrial Standard
for magnetic stripe encoding. JIS II is published and
translated into English by the Japan Standards Association.
Lamination (Overlamination) - A
laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two
or more layers of material together. The process of creating a
laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the
placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them
with heat and/or pressure. Available in clear or
holographic designs and in varying thicknesses, laminate
patches are typically used for high usage cards (e.g., cards
that must be swiped through a reader) or to add advanced
visual card security.
Lanyard - A ribbon with a
clip worn around the neck, usually used to display one's ID
card.
Lockable Hopper - Some ID card printers
provide a lockable card hopper door. This lock is intended to
help prevent theft of your blank card stock. This feature is
especially helpful if using valuable card stock such as
preprinted cards, smart cards or cards with built-in security
features such as holograms.
Low Coercivity
(LoCo) - Magnetic coding on a magnetic stripe. LoCo
stripes are encoded at 300 Oersted. LoCo stripes are generally
brown and store information less securely than high coercivity
magnetic stripes.
Magnetic Stripe (Magstripe)
- Is the black or brown (or other colored)
stripe on the back side of a card. The stripe is made of
magnetic particles of resin. There are two types of magnetic
striping used in teh U.S.: high coercivity (HiCo) and low
coercivity (LoCo). The resin particle material determines the
coercivity of the stripe; the higher the coercivity, the
harder it is to encode or erase information from the stripe.
Magnetic stripes are often used in applications for credit
cards, debit cards, access control, time and attendance,
lunch programs, library cards and more. HiCo magnetic stripe
cards are used in applications of frequent usage and need a
long life (e.g., credit card applications); LoCo magnetic
stripe cards are often used in hotel room access control
applications.
Per the ISO 7811 format, the amount of data you can encode
to a magnetic stripe is as follows:
- Track 1: 210 bits per inch (BPI), 7 bits per character
(MPC), maximum of 79 alpha-numeric characters.
- Track 2: 75 BPI, 5 MPC, maximum of 40 numeric
characters.
- Track 3: 210 BPI, 5 MPC, maximum of 107 numeric
characters.
Memory Card (Synchronous Card) -
A type of smart card that features from 1
Kbit to 512 Kbit memory and is suitable for
usage as a token card or identification card.
Microprocessor Card (Asynchronous Card) - A
type of smart card that features 8 kbytes to 125
Kbytes of memory and is suitable for portable or confidential
files, identification, tokens, electronic purses or any
combination of uses.
Microtext - A visual
security element on a card that is usually placed within a
line or artwork element. Microtext is only a few thousandths
of an inch tall, is visible only under magnification, and
cannot be duplicated by dye sublimation, inkjet or laser
printers. Dot matrix holograms are
capable of embedding microtext at various sizes. There are
three types of microtexts in holograms: high contrast
microtexts of size 50 – 150 micrometres; diffractive grating
filled microtexts of size 50 – 150 micrometres low contrast
microtexts. Microtexts of sizes smaller than 50 micrometres
are referred to as nanotext. Nanotext with sizes of less than
50 micrometres can be observed with a microscope only..
Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) - The
manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) or an alternative
factory-established price that some products are required to
be advertised at.
Monochrome - A single color
print red, green, blue, black, white, silver and gold are
typical colors.
Network ID Software - Software
that allows the saving, storage and sharing of cardholder
records and data across multiple facilities, departments and
applications over an Ethernet network.
Network
Printer - A printer attached to an Ethernet
network for use by workstations and
servers.
ODBC (Open database connections)
- In computing, Open Database Connectivity
(ODBC) provides a standard software interface for accessing
database management systems (DBMS). The designers of ODBC
aimed to make it independent of programming languages,
database systems, and operating systems. Thus, any application
can use ODBC to query data from a database, regardless of the
platform it is on or DBMS it uses. This is accomplished by
using an ODBC driver as a translation layer between the
application and the DBMS. The application thus only needs to
know ODBC syntax, and the driver can then pass the query to
the DBMS in its native format, returning the data in a format
the application can understand. ID card software
with ODBC connectivity allows you to share card data between
internal and outside databases.
Oersted - Oersted (abbreviated as Oe) is the unit of magnetizing
field (also known as H-field, magnetic field strength or
intensity) in the CGS system of units. The unit
of magnetic coercive force used to define difficulty of
erasure of magnetic material.
Output Stacker -
Stores printed cards in a first-in/first-out order. This
feature makes it easy to keep printed cards in a specific
order for faster issuance or to print serialized
cards.
Oversized Cards - Cards that are
larger than the standard CR80 size. The most
popular sizes are CR90 (3.63" x 2.37"/92 mm x 60 mm) and CR100
(3.88" x 2.63"/98.5 mm x 67 mm).
Overlamination
(Lamination) - The process of combining lamination
material and core material using time, heat and pressure.
Available in clear or holographic designs and in varying
thicknesses, laminate patches used in card printers come on
rolls, with and without carriers/liners and are typically used
for high usage cards (e.g., cards that must be swiped through
a reader) or to add advanced visual card security.
Overlay (Overcoat, Topcoat) - The clear
overlay/topcoat/overcoat panel ('O' in YMCKO, "T: in YMCKT) is
provided on dye sublimation print ribbons. This panel
is applied to printed cards to help prevent images
from premature wear or UV fading. All dye sublimation
printed images must have either this overlay panel or an
overlaminate applied to protect them.
Over-the-Edge (Edge-to-Edge/Edgeless) - Refers
to the maximum printable area on a card. Printers with this
capability can print past the edge of a card resulting in
printed cards with absolutely no border. Re-transfer
printers have this capability.
Parallel
Interface - An 8 bit/1byte interface to a computer
typically used by printer using the IEEE1284
specifications.
Polyester Composite Card (Poly-Comp
or Comp Card) - A polyester core layered between PVC
material. Stronger and more durable than regular PVC cards,
composite cards are recommended for utilization in high-usage
environments or if lamination is part of one's particular ID
card printing process. AmerID composite cards are a
composition of 40% polyester/PET and 60% PVC material,
cheaper cards are 20% polyester/PET and 80% PVC.
PET
Card (Plain Polyethylene Terephthalate or Polyester Card)
- Composite cards produced for use in the identification
industry are made from PET-G, also known as glycolised
polyester. The 'G' represents glycol modifiers, which are
incorporated to minimize brittleness and premature aging that
occur if unmodified amorphous polyethylene terephthalate
(APET) is used in the production of
cards.
Printhead - A thermal or card printer
component that supplies heat pulses to apply text,
graphics and images to the card material.
Printer
Driver - In computers, a printer driver or a
print processor is a piece of software that converts the data
to be printed to the form specific to a printer. The purpose
of printer drivers is to allow applications to do printing
without being aware of the technical details of each printer
model.
Printer drivers should not be confused with print spoolers,
that queue print jobs and send them successively to a
printer .
Proximity Card (Prox
Card/Contactless Smart Card) - Proximity card
(or prox card[citation needed]) is a generic name for
contactless integrated circuit devices used for security
access or payment systems. It can refer to the older 125 kHz
devices or the newer 13.56 MHz contactless RFID cards, most
commonly known as contactless smartcards. Modern
proximity cards are covered by the ISO/IEC 14443 (proximity
card) standard. There is also a related ISO/IEC 15693
(vicinity card) standard. Proximity cards are powered by
resonant energy transfer and have a range of 0-3 inches in
most instances. The user will usually be able to leave the
card inside a wallet or purse. The price of the cards is also
low, usually US$2–$5, allowing them to be used in applications
such as identification cards, keycards, payment cards and
public transit fare cards.
Proximity Card
Encoder - The prox card encoder is actually a reader, not
an encoder for reading 125kHz proximity cards. Most
proximity card encoders use a HID ProxPoint Plus
reader. The ProxPoint is a "read only" device producing
a Wiegand signal that is converted to RS-232/serial or USB
interface.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC Cards) - The
primary material used for typical plastic cards.
Radio Frequency ID (RFID)
- Radio-frequency identification
(RFID) is a technology that uses communication through the use
of radio waves to exchange data between a reader and an
electronic tag attached to an object, for the purpose of
identification and tracking. In the ID card
industry, it is RFID technology that enables a contactless
smart card to communicate with a
reader.
Restrictions of the Use of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) - The Directive on the
restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in
electrical and electronic equipment 2002/95/EC (About this
sound listen; commonly referred to as the Restriction of
Hazardous Substances Directive or RoHS) was adopted in
February 2003 by the European Union. The RoHS directive took
effect on 1 July 2006, and is required to be enforced and
become law in each member state. This directive restricts the
use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of various
types of electronic and electrical equipment. It is closely
linked with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
Directive (WEEE) 2002/96/EC which sets collection, recycling
and recovery targets for electrical goods and is part of a
legislative initiative to solve the problem of huge amounts of
toxic e-waste.
Resin Thermal Transfer
- Thermal transfer prints on cards by
melting a coating of ribbon so that it stays glued to the card
on which the print is applied. The process
is used print sharp black text and crisp barcodes
that can be read by both infra-red and visible-light barcode
scanners. It is also the process used to print ultra-fast,
economical one color cards in black or many other colors.
Resolution - Dimension of the smallest pixel
that can be printed. Usually stated as dots per inch
(DPI).
Reverse Transfer (Re-Transfer) - ID card
printing technique where the reverse image
(neagative) is first printed onto transparent re-transfer
film that is then fused into the card surface. The
printer first transfers the YMCK dye film onto a
clear film and then is laminated entirely onto the
card. Re-transfer printing provides high quality full
bleed images and provides the ability to print on uneven
card surfaces and/or differing materials.
Reverse
Transfer Film (Re-Transfer Film) - The specially coated
film used with a reverse transfer ID card
printers.
Rewritable
Card - Cards that contain a thermo-sensitive material that
allows data to become visible/invisible depending upon the
temperature applied. Cards can be erased and rewritten many
times over.
Scratch Off Ribbon - Scratch off
ribbon is used to temporarily hide parts of the
card. This layer can then be "scratched orr" at a later
date. This layer is printed after the layer below it is
printed.
Self-Adhesive Laminate - A
laminate that can be applied manually using an adhesive
layer- without the use of a thermal lamination unit.
These laminates in general can add an extra level of security
and durability to a card.
Signature Capture Pad
- A form of biometrics that contains a sensor that reads a
stylus used for signing, and then transmits the data to a
computer.
Signature Panel - An area on a card
the allows the cardholder to write their signature.
Single-Sided - Capable of printing on only one
side of a card.
Smart Card - A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card
(ICC), is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated
circuits. There are two broad categories of ICCs. Memory cards
contain only non-volatile memory storage components, and
perhaps dedicated security logic. Microprocessor cards contain
volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is
made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or polycarbonate . Smart cards
may also provide strong security authentication for single
sign-on (SSO) within large organizations.
Thermal Printhead - A thermal or
card printer component that supplies heat pulses to
apply text, graphics and images to the card
material.
Thermal Printing - Thermal printing employs a printing process that uses
heat to transfer dye onto medium materials such as a plastic
card. Many consumer and professional thermal printers are
designed and used for producing photographic
prints.
Thermal Transfer Overlaminate -
A thin overlaminate available in a 0.25 mil thickness
that increases card durability and security.
Topcoat
(Overcoat, Overlay) - The clear overlay/topcoat/overcoat
panel ('O' in YMCKO, "T: in YMCKT) is provided on dye
sublimation print ribbons. This panel is applied to
printed cards to help prevent images from premature wear
or UV fading. All dye sublimation printed images must
have either this overlay panel or an overlaminate applied to
protect
them.
Twain - TWAIN is a standard software
protocol and applications programming interface (API) that
regulates communication between software applications and
imaging devices such as scanners and digital cameras. The
latest version of the TWAIN standard is TWAIN 2.1, released on
July 8, 2009. TWAIN 2.1 features include support for MICR,
PDF/A, automatic image rotation, infrared pixel type,
auto-sized images, automatic color detection, and automatic
selection between feeder and
flatbed..
Ultraviolet (UV) Ink - A visual
security element on a card that allows invisible graphics to
turn red when viewed under Ultra Violet
(black) light.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) -
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a specification to
establish communication between devices and a host controller
(usually a personal computer), developed and invented by Ajay
Bhatt, while working for Intel. USB has effectively replaced a
variety of interfaces such as serial and parallel ports.
Unlike the older connection standards RS-232 or Parallel port,
USB connectors also supply electric power, so many devices
connected by USB do not need a power source of their
own. Some printers do not yet support USB;
however, most will accommodate a parallel to USB conversion
cable.
Visitor Management Software - Software
used to register, badge and track visitors.
VeriMark - Fargo custom VeriMark cards
provide an added level of protection against ID
counterfeiting. Ther are
a tamper-evident, instantly verifiable 2-D silver
metallic foil embedded with a logo or other custom graphics
onto a card using a hat stamp
process.
Wax Ribbon - Wax ribbons
are for printing onto paper labels, where the life of the
label can be years but must be kept dry and must not be
abraded or subjected to certain chemicals or oil, which would
dissolve the wax image. Wax-resin ribbons produce a finer
image on very smooth paper or coated paper labels. The printed
image is much more durable than wax, but can still only stand
slight contact with water. These can be
applied to an array of card materials and is therefore more
versatile than a standard ribbon. Wax ribbon can be used with
ABS and special varnished cards, as well as non-PVC card
materials such as cardboards (e.g., paper cards).
Webcam - A webcam is a video
camera which feeds its images in real time to a computer or
computer network, often via USB, ethernet or Wi-Fi..
YMC (Yellow/Magenta/Cyan) - Yellow, magenta and
cyan are the primary print colors for cards. The three colors
are combined in varying degrees to make a full spectrum of
colors.
YMCK (Yellow/Magenta/Cyan/Monochrome) -
Yellow, magenta and cyan are the primary print colors for
cards. The three colors are combined in varying degrees to
make a full spectrum of colors. Monochrome or 'K' is a black
resin panel.
YMCKK
(Yellow/Magenta/Cyan/Monochrome/Monochrome) - Yellow,
magenta and cyan are the primary print colors for cards. The
three colors are combined in varying degrees to make a full
spectrum of colors. Monochrome or 'K' are black resin panels -
the latter 'K' is used for monochrome printing on the back
side of a card.
YMCKT
(Yellow/Magenta/Cyan/Monochrome/Topcoat) - Yellow, magenta
and cyan are the primary print colors for cards. The three
colors are combined in varying degrees to make a full spectrum
of colors. Monochrome or 'K' is a black resin panel, and the
topcoat panel provides the card with minimal protection
against everyday use and environmental elements (e.g., UV
rays).
YMCKO
(Yellow/Magenta/Cyan/Monochrome/Overcoat) - Yellow,
magenta and cyan are the primary print colors for cards. The
three colors are combined in varying degrees to make a full
spectrum of colors. Monochrome or 'K' is a black resin panel,
and clear overlay or 'O' is a thin, protective layer.
YMCKOK
(Yellow/Magenta/Cyan/Monochrome/Overcoat/Monochrome) -
Yellow, magenta and cyan are the primary print colors for
cards. The three colors are combined in varying degrees to
make a full spectrum of colors. Monochrome or 'K' is a black
resin panel, and clear overlay or 'O' is a thin, protective
layer. The latter 'K' is used for monochrome printing on the
back side of a card.
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