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ID cards have a whole handful of benefits, from strengthening security, managing access, gathering employee info and projecting professionalism. They allow a business or organization to secure itself effectively without paying through the nose to do so. Of course, at Avon Security Products we’re a little biased, but we can’t help but be; when you’re dealing with a product so versatile and streamlined, it’s easy to be proud!

But one question that crops up often, when dealing with companies looking to implement an ID card system, is whether they should go for the magstripe cards – those ubiquitous cards with the black, magnetic stripe near the top – or “proxy cards” – contactless cards that you tap for entrance. The short answer here is that they are both wonderfully effective at providing all the aforementioned benefits, and only differ slightly in terms of quickness, price and functional capacity.

Let’s start with magstripes (short for magnetic stripe, if that wasn’t apparent!). These cards date all the way back to 1969, the same year the US landed a man on the moon, and while they aren’t quite as visually impressive as a moon landing, they were “one giant leap” for the security industry. They remained the industry for the next 40 years, and for very good reason – they are inexpensive, versatile and require only a quick swipe through a magstripe reader to verify someone. 

As you might expect, magnetic stripe cards use magnets to encode information, and can support a wide range of data formats, which has made them the go-to choice for banks, government IDs and even hotels. Just as the data formats can be flexible, the card itself is also physically flexible, meaning that it’s not easy to break when kept in a pocket or pocket, or when it’s being passed through the reader. Check out our ID card printers, like the Polaroid/Valid P3500S ID Card System to get a better sense of the versatility of these cards, as well as the inexpensiveness of their printers. The cards themselves are also very inexpensive, costing only between 25-39 cents per card at Avon Security Products.

Then you have the “proxy card”, or proximity card – the new kid on the block. The advantage here is that these cards are contactless, requiring the user to merely hover the card around the reader to be granted access. You might ask why proximity cards are necessary, and the short answer is that it boils down to a timesaving measure. In high traffic places of business, the time it takes per access can be quite important, and the tap of a contactless card can save time.

There are two additional benefits to contactless cards that may not seem apparent at first. Because these cards don’t make physical contact with their reader, they don’t wear down quite as quickly as a magnetic stripe card might. Also, they make for a more accessibility-friendly experience, better for people with vision loss and other people with disabilities for whom the magstripe may be difficult to use.

Compare this with their relatively higher price, however. They are by no means expensive – after all, we are Canada’s largest, most cost-effective proximity card supplier – but they do cost more than magnetic stripe cards. Many proximity cards are left blank, as well, meaning they aren’t personalized with a photo and logo, which is something to keep in mind when weighing your options.

At the end of the day, it all depends on what you’re using it for. Want a simple system to ensure security at your small office? Magnetic stripes are going to do the trick! Want a quicker, more high tech card for your high-volume building? Go for the proximity cards. And, of course, if you have any further questions about either of these card types, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Many small businesses across Canada are catching on to a concept well know by large corporations: offering incentives for customer loyalty not only boosts sales among current customers, but it entices new customers as well. Whether you’re a large grocery store, a fledgling clothing store, a pharmacy, a restaurant… whatever your business, you could stand to benefit greatly from a customer loyalty program.

And as a physical reminder of the loyalty program, you need to offer a loyalty card to customers, which will not only function as a way of identifying members, but also as a means for storing data and advertising the program. At Avon Security Products we offer a wide range of card printers, for every budget and size, to get you started toward implementing a customer loyalty program. Here are four reasons that the humble customer loyalty card is an effective marketing tool.

Customer Retention

It’s much cheaper to retain existing customers than acquire new ones. Customer retention is what accelerates profitable growth, but vying for their loyalty means incentivizing them with deals, promotions, perks and points, which is exactly what a loyalty program does. When faced with the option to buy from you or a competitor, they will choose you, because you’re the business that offers incentives. Further than that, having a card in their wallet makes customers feel as though they’re a part of something, a member of a club, and that sense of belonging can further improve retention.

Sales Increase

With customer loyalty, your business will very likely see a sales increase, not only because you’ve incentivized customers to repeatedly choose your business, but also because the promotions inherent to these programs cause people to spend more. Case in point: the points program, which stipulates that you’ll get something for free after racking up a certain amount of points – and the only way to rack up those points are by spending money. The more a customer pulls out there loyalty card, the more they’re spending; that’s the quiet genius of these types of programs.

Cost Effective

Rather than spending large sums of money on an advertising campaign that may or may not work, it’s better to buy an inexpensive ID card printer, and make customer loyalty cards. Although an ID card printer price may vary a little, they’re nowhere near the price of an advertising campaign, yet they’re just as (if not more) effective.

Viral Marketing

Don’t underestimate the power of visibility. Whenever a customer uses their loyalty card, talks about their loyalty card, or even opens their wallet at a different establishment, revealing the loyalty card, your business gets a small signal boost. The card should be printed with your logo and name brightly and prominently displayed to maximize visibility. To print something that looks good and feels professional, be sure to use a high quality printer. There are several options in the Polaroid ID Card System that offer fantastic value to get your company started.

If you want to boost sales, retain customers and advertise your business, all without spending a lot of money, the best way to go is implementing customer loyalty cards. It’s all well and good to get one sale out of a person, but it’s far better to get them to buy for life. Customer loyalty is the backbone of a successful business, and loyalty cards from Avon Security Products can help you achieve that.

So, you’re going to start wearing an ID badge – either you just landed a new job that requires them, or your existing job made the choice (the correct choice, obviously!) to begin implementing them. Either way, you’re going to be tied to this little card, and the photo it contains, for some time so you might as well make the most of it, which is why here at Avon Security Products we’ve put together a few of the Do’s and Don’ts of your work ID badge. 

Do: Ask For A Proper Photo Set Up

The number one complaint levied at the ID badge is, “my photo doesn’t look very good”, and that’s totally fair – it’s tough enough seeing a bad photo of yourself posted on Facebook, let alone having to wear that photo in public. If possible, as that the room is properly lit, preferably by three-point lighting, if no natural light is available. If there’s an unused room at work that gets a good amount of sunlight, that’s always a great option, and even better if you can do it during the “golden hour”, right after sunrise or right before sunset, as that’s when the quality of light is best.

Don’t: Try And Look Like Someone You’re Not

ID cards are, first and foremost about identification. After all, it’s right there in the name. To that end, it wouldn’t do you any favours to try something completely new with your hair or makeup on the day of the photo, nor would you want to make a face you normally wouldn’t make. Essentially, you want to avoid conversations down the line where someone squints at your photo and goes, “I don’t know if that’s you”.

Do: Keep Your Card On You At All Times

ID cards are for your security, and the security of those around you, so making sure that your card is on you at all times is important. If you want to have a little fun with this measure, try ordering a custom ID badge reel or lanyard, which can either add character or advertise your business. 

Don’t: Keep It Loose In Your Pocket

As mentioned, if you are keeping your card on you at all times, make certain that it’s affixed to you somehow, either by a lanyard, badge reel or a magnetic badge holder. The last thing you want is to lose your card, and allowing it to travel loose in your pocket or purse is just courting that scenario.

Do: Be Proud Of Your ID Badge

Go ahead and be proud that you’re part of a professional team, that your employer cares about your safety, and that you now have a wonderful, well-lit photo of yourself on your person at all hours of the workday. ID badges should generate a sense of belonging and security…

Don’t: Be So Proud That You Post It On Social Media

However, there is a trend on social media called “badge bragging”, where people – often those who’ve just landed a new job – take to social media to post a picture of their ID badge. It’s often done to express pride in their new job, but unfortunately it offers up information on that card that could be useful to criminals, and since you can’t be sure exactly who is viewing your social media accounts, it’s best not to post your ID badge online.

If your business is looking to add security and style to its procedures, contact us to learn more about the many ID card systems and printers we offer. ID badges are so much more than the cards they’re printed on – they’re a safety measure, a photo opportunity and a sense of belonging.

Modern colleges and universities are becoming increasingly streamlined – that is, they are grouping the accompanying experiences into a more cohesive package – and ID cards are to thank. Colleges these days don’t rely solely on tuition to make their money, instead capitalizing on all of the surrounding needs and wants of students, including transportation, food, leisure and health. It’s not uncommon for a college or university to have what is called mandatory non-tuition fees, services that students pay towards that aren’t strictly curricular in nature.

This makes the entire college experience better. Having everything contained and convenient allows students to focus on their studies, and bridges that potentially uneasy transition from parents’ home to the big wide world. That means they can hit the campus cafeteria when they’re hungry, hit the campus gym when they think they’ve eaten too much, go to the campus library to study and even take buses from a central campus bus stop. That should be too many balls for college administration to juggle, but with ID card systems, like the ones we offer at Avon Security Products the entire process is streamlined.

 The cards often store basic information about a student, including their name, age, and the period of validity for their card (i.e. how long they are enrolled for), along with a physical photo of the student on the outside. This data, working in conjunction, allows campuses to personalize cards with a precise level of accuracy, making theft and misuse of the cards incredibly difficult. After all, when a single card has access to all of these paid services, students want to know that it is protected.

Student ID cards also have the potential to be “topped up”, to have money added to them for non-basic goods and services like snacks or non-cafeteria food. In this way, they can function like a campus-wide credit card, further streamlining services and saving students from having to juggle a number of different cards. When they want to want to go to the gym, they bring the same card as they would need to grab a snack afterwards.

Because the card is controlled centrally by the university, in the event that it goes missing, the student doesn’t have to spend countless hours on the phone with different institutions asking for a new card – no jumping through bureaucratic hoops at the bank, or calling up the transit commission to order a new bus pass. It’s simply dealt with at the school. This is another reason ID cards continue to gain popularity at colleges, and why, increasingly, institutions are looking to us at Avon Security Products for state of the art ID card printers and systems: it makes everything much more streamlined and manageable. 

Finally, an ID card also offers safety. Campuses can be easy targets for criminal activity – they keep fairly open borders and generally pride themselves on inclusiveness. This is good, but in order to keep everyone safe, it’s beneficial to know who belongs on campus and who doesn’t, and having students present ID cards is a quick and effective way of obtaining that information. Also, ID card entrance is key to curbing theft, especially on residences, which sees an flux of people that would otherwise be too great to keep track of.

College can be difficult enough to navigate, without juggling eight separate accounts, each with their own unique methods of payment and each with a different card. A student’s wallet alone would be enough to weigh them down! Because of the sophisticated data technology native to every single ID card, campus life can remain free of unnecessary complication. If you want to streamline your business, drop us a line here at R&P Prints – we’re more than happy to help!

A PVC ID Card is a wonderful thing – durable, adaptable and customizable, capable of keeping your business safe and secure in a cost-effective way, and doubling as a mode of reinforcing your company brand. Those businesses that use ID card printers, like the ones we at Avon Security Products offer, benefit from a simple, streamlined way of managing restrictions and access in the workplace, as well as a way to track the attendance of their employees. In short, there’s a whole lot that can be done with a simple ID card. But in order to get the most out of your ID cards, we recommend considering these security features: 

Holographic Overlay

Holographic varnish ribbons create an embedded hologram pattern on your cards, which, because of their uniqueness and rare technology, makes them virtually impervious to counterfeiting. It’s also very difficult to tamper with a holographic ID card; whereas with regular ID cards, a person might reasonably be able to cut out a picture or information from a real employee card, this is nearly impossible when there’s a holographic overlay. You can even customize the holographic image, which means that, in the unlikely event that someone who tries to replicate your card has access to holographic technology, they still won’t be able to replicate the card, because only you have the unique master image.

Magnetic Stripes

This technology dates back to 1969, when an enterprising IBM engineer got the idea from his wife to iron a magnetic strip onto a card for added security – the rest was history. That this feature is still widely used today is a testament to its quality and workability. This article, from How Stuff Works, does a serviceable job explaining how magstripes work. Essentially, when you make a magnetic stripe, you’re orienting the direction of a lot of small magnetic particles, giving it a unique ID that, when passed through a reader, is identified and accepted. To learn more about how to get magnetic stripe cards, or for more information about PVC cards check out our website. 

Smart Chips

Smart Chips are like the magnetic stripe’s cool younger cousin. They use cryptographic algorithms to store, use and distribute digital certificates and information. If that sounds complicated, it’s because it is! What you need to know is that chip-imbedded cards are very secure, and if your cards have sensitive information that absolutely needs protecting, this is the option for your. They also visually indicate protection, as chips are synonymous with security, so it’s less likely that the card will be stolen or tampered with.

Radio Frequency Identification

Who would think that there at the end of your badge reels would be a legitimate circuit picking up radio waves and sending radio wave pulses of its own? But that’s exactly what radio frequency identification cards (RFIDs for short) do, allowing you to manage access, track people and goods, collect contactless payments, as well as many other things. This is a versatile feature that’s used in a number of industries, from supermarkets, hospitals and airports.

ID cards, all by themselves, are wonderful tools and allow businesses of all sorts to stay secure with ease. Adding any of these features bolsters the effectiveness, capabilities and security of ID cards. If you want more information on all the available ID card features, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Your business deserves to be on the forefront of security, and by choosing any of these fine features, each unique and each effective in its own way, you absolutely will be.

There are numerous benefits to self expiring visitor badges, some of which are far more obvious than others. Security is always a concern, but it can also be both time consuming and costly. Self expiring visitor badges are a solution that can help you keep your business, organization, or facility secure without running the risks associated with many of the other types of security measures.

The following are the top five reasons why self expiring badges are likely the right solution for your security needs.

If you have ever had to deal with common types of visitor badges you know just how much time is typically associated with them. It is far too easy to simply walk out of the facility with one of these generic badges as well. It can end up costing your company a considerable sum as visitors forget to leave their badges.

Self expiring visitor badges make it so that visitors will be able to come and go as they need to without you having to remember to take the badge at the end of the visit. As long as there is a log available for signing in, they won’t need to spend a lot of time with the front desk taking care of paperwork. This makes it so your staff can focus on other tasks.

Set Expiration Periods

One of the neatest aspects of these badges is the fact that you can set a different time limit based on your needs. If you have a visitor coming in for a short demonstration, the badge can have a four-hour limit. If auditors are visiting for several days, the badge can be set to expire after a week. Since the badge tracks the time, you can feel safe that the people coming and going from the facility are better assigned to their tasks in the system. It is also a far more secure method of managing visitors that leaving it with front staffing or security guards since they may be away when visitors arrive or return.

Visual Security

Once you set the expiration period, the badge will look like a typical badge. As soon as the badge reaches the expiration time, red lines appear on both sides of the badge. This is an obvious visual clue that a badge is expired. If someone is walking around with an expired badge, it is very easy to see that person does not belong in the facility.

Easy, Affordable Tracking

Since technology is managing the duration of a visitor’s stay, the entire process is streamlined. While the initial costs may seem a bit high, it is because self expiring badges require very little work to maintain or manage. They require no special training and visitors are automatically tracked. This is a huge cost savings for staffing (in addition to freeing up your employees for other tasks that cannot be automated like a badge). You can also easily review your visitors from the logbooks associated with the badges.

Different Types

All facilities and organizations are different, so the approach that is right for a school is not likely to work for a pharmaceutical company. Self expiring visitor badges offer a number of ways to fill and track visitor information.

• Manual badges display the visitor’s handwritten information.
• Printed badges are relatively common and display the same information printed on a common inkjet or laser printer.
• Thermal prints are done with a thermal printer, but contain similar details as the other badges.

Ultimately, the preference is in how the visitors’ details will be displayed. Thermal prints have a bit of additional security. Looking to learn more? Contact us at Avon Security Products! 

ID Cards are utilized by many business and organizations, across a number of different industries, helping restrict access, track information, in addition to a score of other capabilities. The only problem is – and it’s not so much a problem as it is a fact of life – because they’re attached to people, sometimes they get lost or damaged. But there are accessories we offer that can help you mitigate that issue, and if you’re looking to buy an ID card printer for your business, you might consider looking into different badge accessories as well. Here’s a short guide to the different accessories we at Avon Security Products offer.

Badge accessories fall into two rough categories: the ones that keep your badge connected, and the ones that keep your badge protected (there’s a rhyme in there somewhere!). First up, we have the accessories that keep your badge connected to you; this also can be broken down into two categories: lanyards and badge reels. Lanyards are the ones you wear around your neck, and have the added advantage of being highly visible, which is good if you want to put your business’ branding on the lanyard; at Avon Security Products, we’re Canada’s leading source for custom lanyards and can help you get exactly what you want. With your company’s branding emblazoned on the lanyard (and the card), wearers become a sort of mobile form of advertising.

Then there are the other “connector accessories”, badge reels. Badge reels more contained than a lanyard, which is ideal if you work around machinery that a lanyard might caught in – badge reels are certainly the safer option. They’re also easier to access, which is ideal if you tap or slide your card for entrance at work – a simple pull of the card from the spool is much easier than bending down to try and use the card around your neck. Finally, it’s less likely you’ll lose a card that’s affixed to a badge reel, as it’s clipped on your pocket or a belt buckle, as opposed to a lanyard, which freely swings. 

So, those are the accessories that connect your badge. As for the badge protector, there’s really one great option: the badge holder. These holders, usually made of plastic or vinyl, act as a guard against scratches, scuffs and the general wear-and-tear that a card might otherwise be exposed to. They look professional, and help you protect your investment. If you wear a nice suit to work, or you’re just the kind of person who doesn’t want to harm your clothing at all by attaching a clip, consider the magnetic badge holder, which forms around your pants- or shirt pocket, attaching itself with a magnet.

What most people think about when they consider implementing an ID card system is the printer – and justifiably so. The printers we offer, like our Polaroid, Magicard and Zebra ID card printers are awesome machines, mixing cutting-edge technology with ease and practicality. But implementing ID cards at your organization means also understanding the accessory options available. These are a few of the most popular accessories (we didn’t even touch on bead chains and luggage tags!) and should get you started off on the right foot. Try ordering a few different things – badge reels and lanyards, for example – to give your staff the option. Different people like to wear their badges different ways and far be it from us to deny them that! In the end, what matters is that your business is safe and secure, and your investment has been protected.