Our badge printing kiosk software will print any badge size that will fit into your label printer. The software is made for event check-in and therefore will print a single event badge at a time. Avery labels using a normal desktop printer isn’t supported.
Compatible Badge Printers
Our system will print to any event badge printer. We use the industry standard event badge printer ourselves, the Epson TM-C3500 color inkjet.
We also use a thermal badge printer for small events and have worked with the Zebra ZD421D and ZD621 printer.
We find both models extremely reliable and efficient when printing badges on demand at events. Read our ultimate guide on event badge printers.
Efficiency and Speed
Choosing the right badge printer for your event is essential. If you’re expecting large crowds to descend on your event as soon as it opens or you have a small window of time to check-in your attendees, then speed and efficiency are the most important.
The Epson C3500 can produce a badge every 4 seconds whilst the Zebra thermal printer can produce a badge every 7 seconds on average.
As the Zebra printer is a slower device (all thermal printers are), you’ll need to use one printer with one check-in kiosk. Using the Epson you can network these with up to 3 kiosk machines to maximize its efficiency.
By networking the Epson to 3 other kiosks means you’ll use less ink and need less badge media which means less waste and more money in your pocket.
Purchase of Hire?
Hiring is a never ending cost and buying your badge printer hardware will seam cheaper for you in the long run.
However, before you go all-in and buy the equipment, consider the following consequences of doing so,
- Do you have means to store the printers and hardware when not in use? The printers are bulky (50 x 50 x 50cm box) and heavy (12KG).
- Do you have a way to transport them between venues?
- Is your venue easily accessible to drop off your equipment and can you part your van or truck nearby?
- Do you have the capability to support and maintain your hardware making sure its clean, up to date, and serviceable between events?
- Do you have the resources to setup, test, and prepare your event check-in at your event in the time you have available?
- Are you prepared to shoulder the cost of replacement if there is a component failure out of warranty? These printers aren’t cheap, they’re $2,000+ each.
To offer a comparison, here is a typical kit list excluding the consumables.
- Windows 11 Laptop entry level specification – $400.00
- QR Code scanner – $70.00
- Epson TM-C3500 event badge printer – $2,000
Approximate Total = $2,470.00
Now let’s assume that you cannot store these at home, so you need to hire a storage unit. A small storage unit might set you back $1,500.00 a year plus insurances.
You’ll need to transport the kiosks back and to your event which could be in a different state or country. How are you going to get them there and back?
- Drive? – That’s time on the road you may not have
- Get a UHaul – That’s a rental cost on top of your drive time, which might be $1,000 – $1,500 plus gas
- Ship them via FedEx? – Then you’ll need to purchase custom made flight cases to protect them and these can be $700 to $1,000 per case plus shipping costs which will be $300 to $500 each way per box. Then what do you do if they arrive damaged or not at all?
Lets assume you need 3 printers and kiosks for your event, that’s a year one investment of nearly $13,000.
In contrast, hiring the equipment is in-expensive but repetitive.
- Laptop hire is approx $30 per day per laptop
- QR Code scanner is approx $10 per day per device
- Epson TM-C3500 is approx $110 per day per printer
The minimum hire period is 3 days and the cost of shipping to and from your venue is on top. Let’s approximate this to be $500 each way per kiosk set.
So for the same 3 kiosk package, the rental cost of the equipment is approx $4,350.00 including shipping and return.
If you only run one event a year it will take 4 years for you to see a positive return on your purchase verses renting each year. This isn’t including breakages, replacements, or any theft / loss of equipment.
Four years is a long time to wait for a return on investment. The technology may not even be compatible by then.
However, if you run multiple events a year your return on investment will be realised quicker.
Ultimately the decision to buy or hire is up to you. For more in-depth cost analysis check out our blog on onsite badge printing costs.
Thermal or color print?
If you want the best looking badges and the most flexibility in design then the full color badge printing option is the one to use.
If you’re on a very tight budget or have low numbers, the thermal print option is the cheapest method. But cheap comes with compromises.
You’ll not have the same flexibility in badge designs between attendee roles and if you want a colorful badge template, these need to be produced in bulk before the event.
To print a color image onto a thermal badge requires a special printing process that must be done during the manufacturing process. When produced all that needs to be printed onsite is the variable data which can only be printed in black.
This means you’ll need to order a lot more than you need and after your event, they need to be disposed of. Whereas the color inkjet versions use off the shelf blank media and the whole design is printed on site when the ticket is scanned. No waste and they are cheaper to produce per badge at low numbers (sub 500) as a result.
You will end up with a good looking badge, but they will not be as good as the color inkjet version.
Badge media size
The standard event badge is 4 x 6 inches or 9.5cm x 13.4cm.
We offer and supply two versions for the Epson color printer:
- 4 x 6 inch fanfolded, perforated, pre-holed for lanyards matte finish, non-adhesive backed
- 4 x 6 inch fanfolded, perforated, pre-holed for lanyards matte finish, adhesive backed
The difference between the two is durability. The adhesive backed badges are a little stronger and more resistant to tearing as the adhesive provides additional strength. We use these badges for event that are more than 2 days in length because they reduce the number of reprints due to wear and tear.
The non-adhesive backed badges are still good quality and will last 1 to 2 day events with ease.
When using the adhesive backed badge media, please bear in mind that this will require peeling off the backing and folding after production on the printer. This can add a few more seconds to your check-in time per person and produce excessive waste. Whereas. the non-adhesive badges produce zero waste and are easier to recycle.
For the Zebra printer we offer 1 badge version which is again 4 x 6 inches in size. We are able to pre-print these with your template design, but the minimum order is 250 badges and we require 3 weeks notice in order to get them produced.
For extreme budget badges you can use sticky roll labels with the Zebra printer. We recommend the 100 x 70mm badge roll. These you can stick on to clothing or a pre-manufactured badge plate you may have purchased from your print supplier.
The benefits of using our print media is that we certify them to work with our badge system and we can offer you a sample of how your badges will look. We also guarantee that the kiosk will work optimally and we’re able to support you throughout your event.
Using your own badge media or printer models we have not tested ourselves will mean you’ll be responsible for the printer setup and support throughout your event and the testing and qualification of the badges prior to your event.
