feature story By Alan Fontanella, Vice President of Product Marketing, HID Global .: 12 :. April 2012 ICMA Card Manufacturing

Transcription

1 By Alan Fontanella, Vice President of Product Marketing, HID Global.: 12 :.

2 Government agencies, card service bureaus, universities and corporations can increase productivity, reliability and security by employing distributed, rather than centralized, credentials issuance. To optimize effectiveness, the distributed issuance model requires high-duty-cycle printing solutions that are easily scalable, decrease operational and service costs, and maximize output of finished credentials including any combination of physical, electronic or visual personalization. Types of Distributed Card Issuance Solutions The distributed issuance model differs from centralized issuance alternatives in that it is not dependent on a lone, large-volume printer, and card production need not be suspended during extended periods of maintenance. A drawback of centralized distribution is that it can require more time and expense to distribute credentials either finished credentials must be packaged and sent to individuals, or card recipients are required the inconvenience of travel to a centralized location to obtain credentials. Distributed card issuance enables a high degree of structural system flexibility as compared to centralized options. This allows for more customization of solutions to meet organizational needs. A distributed system may be structured in one of three ways: 1 Grouped: Multiple printer/encoder units can be networked in a single location to produce moderate to increasingly larger volumes of identification cards in continuous batch runs. This provides the benefit of print array redundancy to ensure continuity, and simplified maintenance during card production shifts. If an individual printer/ encoder is taken offline for routine maintenance or service, the remaining printers can continue card production. 2 Geographically dispersed: Individual printer/ encoder units in geographically dispersed locations can be securely networked, sharing one or more common or centrally managed databases. This allows, for example, governments to issue citizen IDs through a central database to multiple sites serving distinct population centers. 3 Combined: Geographically dispersed groups of printer/encoder units leverage benefits of both grouped and geographically dispersed structures, providing the insurance of site redundancy..: 13 :.

3 Key Printer Selection Criteria There are five important system criteria to consider when networking printers into a high-duty-cycle distributed card issuance system. The first is flexible print technology. To maximize operational productivity, reliability and security, printers must seamlessly integrate all relevant printing and encoding elements for the finished credentials. The system must manage a broad range of identification card materials (including composite materials that lengthen card life) and embedded card electronics (including contact and contactless smart chips or combination technologies). As an alternative to traditional direct-to-card printing, organizations can choose retransfer printing, a print technology that easily flexes to accommodate multiple card materials and electronics. A dye image is reverseprinted onto the underside of an adhesive film before being transferred to the card surface, which adds a durable layer of protection to the card and its components. This approach avoids damage to electronics since there is no print-head directly contacting the card surface. Retransfer film also conforms to ridges and indentations in the card surface, making it compatible with a wider array of card materials and thicknesses. The second criterion is printer system reliability. Highduty-cycle printing systems are generally at high risk for exposure to contaminants, pollutants and debris that can diminish card quality, reduce batch card printing yields and cause premature wear on printer systems. Continuous high heat inside a printer may also disrupt card throughput and distort finished credentials, reducing print productivity and increasing the total cost of operation. For best results, printers must be ruggedized and include such features as redundant card cleaning systems, heavy-duty positive air flow and internal filtration systems, and electronic temperature sensors. Other desirable features include strong printer stepper motors to maintain card throughput, and efficient card input gate systems that eliminate multiple card feed problems. Finally, enhanced material handling systems can prevent ribbon breaks and film errors, and finely-tuned consumables cartridges with precision rollers and aluminum spindle shafts can ensure consistent print image production. In addition to print technology flexibility and system reliability, optimal system performance is also important. The success of an organization s card identification system is directly related to credentials issuance security, personalized card throughput, and card efficacy, or the card s ability to meet user demands over its desired life: Security can be improved by a) limiting operator access to the printer s physical components, b) ensuring electronic security via personal identification numbers (PINs) and protecting print job data packets with AES 256-bit encryption, and c) ensuring automatic elimination of personal data on used ribbon panels to help prevent identity theft. Overall card throughput depends on a printer s ability to support multiple print mode settings, varied card throughput rates, and multiple simultaneous operations. Each print station must work independently yet simultaneously with other printer/encoder units to seamlessly personalize cards with images and encoded data via one or multiple technologies (i.e., magnetic stripe, smart card or proximity), and apply layers of secure, protective lamination. Another useful feature is a dual-input hopper that allows the printer to sustain continuous operation by pulling blank cards from one hopper while the other is being refilled..: 14 :.

4 Credential efficacy requires that credentials be durable and provide clear visual evidence of attempted tampering. Retransfer print technology provides distinct advantages here, and can deliver additional security and durability through the use of specialty films that incorporate visual, anti-counterfeiting security elements including custom holograms, fluorescing images or microtext. Retransfer technology also improves card abrasion resistance, and additional in-line card lamination may be applied over the retransfer film to further extend card life while enabling varying levels of overt or covert visual security elements. The fourth system criterion is operational convenience. Today s advanced printers are engineered to minimize maintenance time and effort, thus maximizing uptime and system throughput. Automated diagnostic systems combined with touch screen interfaces and help screens alert operators to problems and simplify their identification and resolution. Other key features include visible card feed mechanisms that provide unobstructed operator access when jams occur, card reject bins that automatically segregate mis-programmed cards from complete cards, and dual high-capacity input and output hoppers that enable continuous card personalization runs while reducing the need for operator loading/unloading intervention. Convenience also can be improved with in-line card flattening mechanisms, sealed print mechanisms, and dual-cleaning stations. Last but not least, system scalability is a key criterion to consider during printer selection. The modular architecture of distributed card issuance systems enables greater versatility and flexibility as long as field-upgradeable modules are available to meet current or future specialized credential needs. These upgrade requirements might include ISO magnetic encoding, large-capacity card input hoppers, dual-side printing, contact or contactless card encoding, ISO card flattening, single- or dual-sided lamination and laser engraving. The volume of card output should also be easily scalable. As the organization and its card issuance needs grow, the.: 15 :.

5 network can expand in defined increments to meet demand simply by connecting additional printers. Likewise, if credentials issuance needs decrease over time, output can be trimmed by reducing the number of printers in the network. There is growing demand for distributed card personalization solutions that meet the needs of ID programs with a combination of high-capacity printing and encoding at the highest levels of security and privacy. Printer/encoders must deliver the highest quality print images in addition to unparalleled reliability and performance. The mission of today s distributed card issuance programs is to produce valid credentials, at a rate commensurate with demand and in a form that will perform reliably over the useful life of each issued card. Alan Fontanella is the vice president of product marketing, Secure Identity Issuance with HID Global where he is responsible for the strategic business planning and development for HID s printer and card personalization and solutions business segment. With expertise in secure issuance and identity management systems and solutions, Mr. Fontanella represents HID Global as a member of the Document Security Alliance (DSA) and maintains several patents focused on secure identity credential issuance..: 16 :.