YMCKO Ribbons: High Tech Innovations Result In Affordable, Photo Quality ID Cards
Getting photo quality results from your ID Card printer is easy, thanks to innovations
in ribbon technology and card printer engineering. Today's multi-panel color ribbons
-and a YMCKO ribbon is called a five-panel ribbon -- use dye sublimation
technology and a four-color printing process to achieve results that are simply
stunning. Don't let yourself be confused by the YMCKO description - the printing
process is easily understood once you know the basics.
But What Do All Those Letters Mean?
All colors in the visible spectrum can be produced using a combination of four colors:
Yellow (Y), Magenta (M), Cyan (C), and Black (K). For
example, Yellow and Cyan combine to make green. The brilliant design of your card
printer, along with your ID card software, allows you to print literally millions
of color variations and nuances using combinations of these colors - resulting
in stunning photo realistic effects not possible just a few years ago. Simply put,
an YMCKO ribbon is designed to print vivid full color on single-sided cards that
meet even the most stringent requirements.
The "O" in the ribbon name signifies a clear overlay that eliminates the need
for a laminator. YMCKO ribbons add years of life to your cards and badges,
eliminating the need for the time and hassle of laminating them. If your ID Cards
will be kept strictly in a badge holder, using a ribbon with a clear overlay panel
may not be necessary. In that case, an YMCK ribbon will do just fine. However, when
ID cards are hung from a lanyard or neck strap, an "O panel" overlay will reduce
the wear and tear caused to cards by abrasion, as well as reduce dye migration
that occurs during the printing process. Similarly, a YMCKOK ribbon, or a six-panel
ID Card ribbon, will print full color on one side, along with a clear overlay, and
black (represented by "K") on side two.
(In case you're wondering why "K" is used to represent the color black, that came
about in the early days of conventional four color process printing when black was
referred to as the "Key" for registering the other three colors on the press.
It also helped to avoid confusion with the names blue and brown.)
The In-House Revolution
With the advent of the affordable desktop ID printer, owners of businesses of all
sizes, as well as public and non-profit organizations, are benefiting from the ability
to design and print custom cards using easy to learn ID card software. All
leading card printer companies manufacture printers utilizing YMCKO ribbons that
are quite sophisticated, with some offering high-tech features like RFID
Technology (Radio Frequency Identification), guaranteeing proper ribbon selection
and error-free alignment, while others deliver security options that prevent access
by unauthorized users, for example.
These printers utilize thermal transfer technology along with dye sublimation
ribbon technology to reproduce any color -- including realistic skin tones
and other difficult to match colors --at a very low cost per card, making them very
attractive for business owners considering creating custom ID cards in-house
using their own ID printer and card software, and the appropriate YMCKO ribbon of
their choice.
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