Many experienced card printer users are familiar with the white border that direct-to-card printers leave around the edge of cards. Retransfer printers, on the other hand, produce "over-the-edge" prints that cover the entire surface of your cards.
Direct-to-card printers print directly to the surface of cards. Any uneven surface of a card including coming in contact with the edge of a card can cause expensive printhead damage.
Retransfer printers, on the other hand, print your card image to a clear film (retransfer film) that is then fused onto the surface of the card. With this process, the printhead does not come in direct contact with your card, allowing you to print over the edge of your cards and to a wider variety of card surfaces including proximity cards, smart cards, pre-punched cards and key tag cards. Another benefit: retransfer printers produce imagery with rich, vibrant, saturated colors.
Choose a retransfer card printer if your card design needs to print "over-the-edge" or if you will be printing on technology cards (smart cards, prox cards, etc.).
Top Five Benefits of Retransfer Printers