Dear Lazyweb: Employee ID cards
May 13, 2020 1:45 PM Subscribe
What's some super-simple and easy ways to get employee ID cards made for my tiny 4-person outfit?
I looked today online and maybe I've got pandemic-brain but the options seemed dizzying, exhaustive, and more work than I felt like I needed to be putting in. Everywhere I landed wanted to oversell the crap out of me or get me enrolled in a *solution*.
I just want to go on a website, pick an existing template, type in the company name, upload 4 headshots and type some personal info (name, title) into a few boxes, pay some money, and have 4 (or 8, two each) ID cards delivered by mail.
I don't want to spend an hour to design an ID card template. I don't want to buy a ID card printer or software. Don't need magstripes, RFID, serialized employee number fields, QR codes, etc. I just want something simple so when we do occasionally get asked for company ID badges we have something more credible than a business card and a drivers license and an explaination that we're a tiny operation and don't have ID cards.
I looked today online and maybe I've got pandemic-brain but the options seemed dizzying, exhaustive, and more work than I felt like I needed to be putting in. Everywhere I landed wanted to oversell the crap out of me or get me enrolled in a *solution*.
I just want to go on a website, pick an existing template, type in the company name, upload 4 headshots and type some personal info (name, title) into a few boxes, pay some money, and have 4 (or 8, two each) ID cards delivered by mail.
I don't want to spend an hour to design an ID card template. I don't want to buy a ID card printer or software. Don't need magstripes, RFID, serialized employee number fields, QR codes, etc. I just want something simple so when we do occasionally get asked for company ID badges we have something more credible than a business card and a drivers license and an explaination that we're a tiny operation and don't have ID cards.
Laminated cards look like crap, in my opinion, and just amplify the message that it isn't a "real" company ID badge.
quickidcard.com has no minimum, pre-existing templates or make-your-own, and cost around $15-$20 for quantity 1, $30-$35 for quantity 2, printed both sides with a punchout for a lanyard. I've been quite pleased with them.
posted by jgreco at 3:26 PM on May 13, 2020 [4 favorites]
quickidcard.com has no minimum, pre-existing templates or make-your-own, and cost around $15-$20 for quantity 1, $30-$35 for quantity 2, printed both sides with a punchout for a lanyard. I've been quite pleased with them.
posted by jgreco at 3:26 PM on May 13, 2020 [4 favorites]
"ID badge printing" seems to be the search that will get you more options like quickidcard.com, if you want to shop around. Badge printers are enough of a commodity item now that there are a number of places that do small scale runs like what you want.
posted by Aleyn at 7:24 PM on May 13, 2020
posted by Aleyn at 7:24 PM on May 13, 2020
Local places are more likely to do small runs and work with you to design them.
I had a custom project (room door numbers; was recommended brushed aluminum sandwich board with numbers printed on - looked great, cheap) and called around "sign" companies (who usually also do "print" work - typically with a graphics designer in house).
If you're only looking for 4 of them, this could sound like a small side project for such outfits. I'd call/ email some up, say you want 4 custom "ID badges," your budget, and solicit ideas.
Not sure what your company's sensibilities or area is, but you could even commission some science-fiction-ey-looking ID badges...
posted by porpoise at 11:11 PM on May 13, 2020
I had a custom project (room door numbers; was recommended brushed aluminum sandwich board with numbers printed on - looked great, cheap) and called around "sign" companies (who usually also do "print" work - typically with a graphics designer in house).
If you're only looking for 4 of them, this could sound like a small side project for such outfits. I'd call/ email some up, say you want 4 custom "ID badges," your budget, and solicit ideas.
Not sure what your company's sensibilities or area is, but you could even commission some science-fiction-ey-looking ID badges...
posted by porpoise at 11:11 PM on May 13, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
Next easiest option: use one of Canva's free pre-made ID card templates to generate the images. Print them on a color printer. Cut them out and run them through a laminator. Alternately, just email the file to your local copy shop and have them print, cut, and laminate for you.
posted by ourobouros at 1:54 PM on May 13, 2020 [8 favorites]