FARGO electronic HDP700 Selecting The Appropriate HDP Printer Driver Settings, Tape Adhesion Test

FARGO Electronics Inc.

For all these reasons, it is important to evaluate a customer’s card stock selection as part of the selling process. This will help optimize the HDP print process for the specific card and maximize customer satisfaction in the printer. The remainder of this document describes how this should be done.

3.2.2 Selecting The Appropriate HDP Printer Driver Settings

FARGO offers two types of PVC cards: glossy UltraCard™ cards and matte-finished HDP-PVC Cards. The HDP printer driver software (version 1.3.0 or higher) has default Transfer Temperature, Dwell Time and Flattener Temperature settings that deliver the best transfer for these card types. These defaults automatically configure based on the card type, ribbon type, and whether printing single- or dual-sided. Before printing, if using these standard FARGO card types, check to make sure that the appropriate card type option selected from the Card Tab of the HDP printer driver:

Table 3-1

Card/Ribbon Type	Transfer Temp	Transfer Time	Flattener Temp(1)
UltraCards-Glossy PVC	175º	2 seconds/inch	Dual Side: 75º
+ non-H panel ribbon			Single Side: 90º
HDP Cards-Matte PVC +	195º	2 seconds/inch	Dual Side: 75º
non-H panel ribbon			Single Side: 90º
UltraCards-Glossy PVC	175º	2 seconds/inch	Dual Side: 75º
+ H panel ribbon (2)			Single Side: 90º
HDP Cards-Matte PVC +	175º	2 seconds/inch	Dual Side: 75º
H panel ribbon (2)			Single Side: 90º

(1)Based on 30-mil card thickness. For thinner cards, reduce the Flattener temperature; increase the Flattener temperature for thicker cards.

(2)YMCKH panel ribbon provides a "Heat Seal" panel that aids in transferring to matte-finished cards and requires a lower transfer temperature. Note that only matte-finished cards with a surface roughness (Ra) of 60 micro inches or less are recommended.

It is very important to note that not all card types will be accommodated by these default settings. In some cases experimentation may be needed to find the proper settings.

For the cases where custom settings are required, the printer driver's Card Type option also includes a "Custom 1" and "Custom 2" option. These settings allow designating a unique Card Type name, which then saves custom Image Transfer settings. For example, "Custom 1" could b e changed to read as "My Cards". Custom transfer settings would then be available whenever this Card Type option is selected and saved each time the printer driver setup window is closed. To determine the proper settings for custom card stock, FARGO recommends the Tape Adhesion Test.

3.2.3 Tape Adhesion Test

If printing to a card other than UltraCard or HDP-PVC, FARGO cannot be certain which transfer temperature and dwell time work best. Optimal transfer settings may vary from card type to card type. It is important to use sufficient time and temperature to transfer HDP Film to the card to ensure a long lasting, durable card. Inadequate time and temperature could produce cards that are more vulnerable to accelerated wear and dye migration.

One way to test the adhesion quality of the HDP Film to the card is by printing sample cards and completing an adhesive tape test. The IPC (Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits) outlines a pressure sensitive tape test (test manual Section 3.7, number 1, IPC-TM-650- 3.7.1D) that evaluates adhesion quality.

HDP700 Series Card Printer 3-3