
That is because the heat from the printer can melt the thin plastic cards. For instance, 10 mil cards are not recommended to be used with retransfer printers or for lamination. You should carefully check the specifications of your ID card printer and see to it that it can print on your blank cards easily.

This is applicable to choosing the thickness of the cards as well. So make sure that your ID card printer is capable of printing on the blank cards before you buy. In fact, there are very few that can print on CR100 cards.
#Id card size software#
Not all ID card printers and software editions can handle all card sizes. At the same time, you should also keep an eye on your ID card printer and software. For instance, if your needs are general identification and access only, then you go with the standard CR80 card size. To pick the best ID card size, you should be clear of the needs of your organization first.

Some cards are above 30-mil in thickness too these are generally used for access control and door entry.Ĭhoosing the Right ID Card Size and Thickness Then there are very thin cards as well, which measure 0.010 inches or 10-mil, and feel like paper. Some plastic ID cards are made a bit more flexible, and come in 20-mil thickness. CR100 cards are commonly used in governmental installations, and are referred to as "military size" cards as well.īlank cards are available in varying thicknesses too however, the standard thickness for most of the cards is 0.030 inches or 30-mil. CR100 cards are around 42% larger than CR80 cards, and measure 3.88 inches in width and 2.63 inches in height. Some organizations also use CR100 cards for speedy security checks and identification, especially when issuing guest passes to an industrial plant. Sometimes, CR79 cards are also used as key cards or access cards for different purposes. CR79 cards are usually adhesive-backed and are used on proximity cards for quick identification purposes. It is a little smaller than CR80 cards, measuring 3.303 inches in width and 2.051 inches in height. CR80 measures 3.370 inches in width and 2.125 inches in height.Īnother common ID card size is CR79. In some cases, CR80 cards are also used for printing driver's licenses. It is the widely accepted card size across different industries and is used for printing photo ID cards, customer loyalty cards, credit and debit cards, gym cards, etc. Yet the most common one among them is the "standard" CR80. ID cards can go from 10 mil all the way up to 65 mil in some cases.Ĭards at 10-15 mil are generally used for temporary or light use (hotel key cards, business cards, etc).Ģ0-24 mil are usually found in transit pass and bus ticket type cards.There are many different types of ID cards, in many different sizes. CR80 cards are 2.125x3.375 (the same size as a credit card) and are the standard, most commonly used size of PVC card. A credit card is around 30 mils thick or 3/100 of an inch. Thickness in ID cards is measured in “mils” ( not be confused with the metric measurement “millimeter”, a “mil” is a unit of thickness equivalent to one thousandth of an inch). The above list shows the sizes of the cards expressed in length and width. ID-3: (4.921 x 3.465) used for Government ID cards ID-2: (4.134 x 2.913) used for French and other ID cards, visas Lets have a look at the most common card sizes:ĬR-50: (3.5 inches length x 1.75 inches width) This format is usually used in hotel rooms for access controlĬR-79: (2.051 x 3.303) mainly used for Proximity cardsĬR-80: (3.370 x 2.125) Also known as ID-1, This card is the most popular of the standard card format and most commonly used.ĬR-100: (3.88 x 2.63) Known as “oversized” cards, commonly used for conventions, trade shows or any situation that requires higher visibility. In addition to selecting the right size card for your company ID badge, consideration must also be taken to ensure your printer and software can accommodate the size selected.

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Hopefully you will have a better understanding of the formats and applications, and therefore will be able to decide the right card for your needs. There are quite a number of ID card formats available to choose from.Īt first glance it would seem that the selection is slightly overwhelming, however we will take a closer look at the most common card sizes.
