Printer Supplies

Gill ID can supply you with your ribbons, re-transfer film & laminates for every brand of card printer.  Valid/Polaroid, Evolis, Fargo/HID, Magicard, Zebra, Pointman, Nisca, IDP Smart, Swiftcolor and Datacard.  When you purchase your color ribbons and card consumables from Gill ID that automatically qualifies you for our CAP (Customer Appreciation Program) which entitles you to (1) free cleaning of your printer per year (customer is responsible to ship the printer to our location and all freight costs), Free technical support over the phone via remote connection and optional loaner printers if your printer has mechanical failure and you need to continue printing while repairs are being done (customer is responsible for all freight costs and to purchase consumables).

Standard Ribbons

YMCKO, YMCKT

Yellow (Y), Magenta (M), Cyan (C), Black (K), Overlay/Topcoat (O/T). This is the standard full color ribbon for single-sided ID card printing. This ribbon will print images in full color on the front and/or the back with a clear overlay. If used for dual-sided printing, the card yield is cut in half.

YMCKOK

Yellow (Y), Magenta (M), Cyan (C), Black (K), Overlay (O), Black (K). This is the standard full color ribbon for dual-sided printing, where you are printing black only on the back of the card. This is often used for cards with a company logo and cardholder photo on the front, and/or black text and barcodes on the back. There is an overlay on the front of the card, but not the back.

Half-Panel

Half-panel ribbons have all the standard YMCKO panels for printing in full color, but they are half the size of a standard ribbon. This allows you to print cards that only have color or text on half the card.  This essentially save you time and most importantly, money.

Monochrome Ribbons

BO & KO

Both BO & K denote a black monochrome ribbon with overlay. The difference is what type of black the ribbon has—B stands for pure black, while K stands for composite black (produced by combining the other colors). Which ribbon you use depends on the purpose of the cards. BO ribbons are ideal for printing barcodes because barcode scanners can read them easier, while KO ribbons are excellent for printing text.

Colored Monochrome

Colored monochrome ribbons are available in a wide range of colors, from red and blue to metallic gold or silver. These ribbons print only one color and are used for printing logos and text that don’t require other colors or shading.

Ribbons for Re-Transfer or Laminating Printers

YMC

Yellow (Y), Magenta (M), Cyan (C). This standard Re-transfer ribbon is used to print full color single-sided ID cards with no black text or images with Re-transfer printers. These ribbons do not include an overlay panel because the Re-transfer printer uses a separate transfer film during printing.

YMCK

Yellow (Y), Magenta (M), Cyan (C), Black (K). This printer ribbon is used to print full color single-sided ID cards with black text or images with Re-transfer printers. These ribbons do not include an overlay panel because a Re-transfer printer uses a separate transfer film during printing.

YMCKK

Yellow (Y), Magenta (M), Cyan (C), Black (K), Black (K). This printer ribbon is used for dual-sided reverse transfer printers and creates cards with full color and black on the front, and black only on the back. These ribbons do not include an overlay panel as a Re-transfer printer uses a separate transfer film during printing.

Reverse Transfer Films & Laminates

Transfer Film

Reverse Transfer printers print your card design onto a clear film that is applied to the card, which is different from ID card printers that print the design directly on the card (called dye sublimation). By printing on the film first, you can get a greater level of detail and high definition quality with your designs.  This ensures a true “Edge to Edge” print image.

Laminate (also known as overlaminate)

Laminates can only be used with ID card printers equipped with a laminating module. The clear laminate is applied to the card after the design is printed and can be applied on both sides of the cards or only the front. Lamination protects cards from daily wear and tear, making them more durable than standard cards.  A custom holographic image can be applied to add an additional security feature.

Specialty Ribbons

Signature Panel Ribbon

A Signature Panel ribbon is an option when your card design includes the cardholder’s signature on the card. This semi-opaque panel makes part of the card writable and adds to the visual security of a card. Many membership cards from retail rewards cards to library cards require members to sign their cards.

UV or Fluorescent Ribbon

UV or Fluorescent ribbons are used to add images or text to ID cards that is only visible under ultraviolet (UV) light.  A holographic overlay is always visible. UV printing is often used to verify the card is authentic, since this feature is harder to replicate when creating fake cards. This feature is utilized in many government-issued ID cards that include UV designs for security.