Description
Product Overview
The HID FARGO DTC1250e is the entry point into professional ID card printing, and the model most UAE businesses start with. It uses direct-to-card dye sublimation: a thermal printhead transfers colour straight onto a blank PVC card, producing a durable, photo-quality credential in one pass.
Single-sided printing suits organisations whose card design lives on one face – a photo, name, logo and barcode. A full-colour YMCKO card takes about 16 seconds, so a batch of 100 staff cards is finished inside half an hour. The 100-card input hopper means you load once and walk away.
The DTC1250e ships with Swift ID, an embedded badge-design application that runs without installing separate design software, plus FARGO Workbench for maintenance and colour calibration. Magnetic stripe and smart card encoding are available as configured options for access control or time-and-attendance.
One limitation worth knowing before you buy: direct-to-card printing leaves a narrow unprinted margin at the card edge, and it is not the right choice for cards with embedded chips that raise the surface. If you need true edge-to-edge printing or print onto smart cards, look at the retransfer HDP5000e instead.
Specifications
| Print method | Dye sublimation / resin thermal transfer (direct-to-card) |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 300 dpi |
| Print speed | 16 seconds per card / up to 225 cards per hour (YMCKO) |
| Print sides | Single-sided |
| Card sizes | CR-80, CR-79 adhesive back |
| Card thickness | 9-40 mil (0.229-1.016 mm) |
| Card material | PVC or polyester with polished PVC finish |
| Input hopper | 100 cards |
| Output hopper | 30 cards |
| Interfaces | USB 2.0; Ethernet with internal print server; optional Wi-Fi |
| Encoding options | Magnetic stripe; contact and contactless smart card |
| Security | AES-256 encryption |
| Software | Swift ID embedded badging; FARGO Workbench |
| Warranty | 2 years standard; 3 years printer and printhead with online registration |
FARGO Model Comparison
| Specification | DTC1250e | DTC4500e | HDP5000e | HDP6600 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | Direct-to-card | Direct-to-card | Retransfer | Retransfer |
| Resolution | 300 dpi | 300 dpi | 300 dpi | 600 dpi |
| Colour speed | 225 cards/hr | 225 cards/hr | 133 cards/hr | 230 cards/hr |
| Edge-to-edge print | Small white border | Small white border | Over-the-edge | Over-the-edge |
| Card thickness | 9-40 mil | 9-40 mil | 30-50 mil | 30-40 mil |
| Input hopper | 100 cards | 200 cards | 100 cards | 100 cards |
| Output hopper | 30 cards | 100 cards | 200 cards | 200 cards |
| Lamination | Not available | Optional | Optional module | Wasteless lamination |
| Smart-card printing | Not recommended | Supported | Excellent | Excellent |
| Printer warranty | 3 yr (registered) | 3 yr | 4 yr | 3 yr |
| Best suited to | Small offices, schools | Daily mid-volume issuance | Smart cards, universities | High-volume enterprise |
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is the FARGO DTC1250e?
The DTC1250e prints a full-colour single-sided card in about 16 seconds, or up to 225 cards per hour. Monochrome printing is considerably faster. A 100-card staff batch takes roughly 27 minutes.
Can the DTC1250e print on both sides of a card?
Not this configuration. This is the single-sided model. For two-sided cards, choose the DTC1250e Dual-Sided version, which prints both faces automatically in one pass.
Does the DTC1250e print edge to edge?
No. Like all direct-to-card printers it leaves a thin unprinted border around the card edge. If you need full-bleed printing with no margin, you need a retransfer printer such as the HDP5000e.
How many cards does one DTC1250e ribbon print?
A full-colour YMCKO ribbon yields 250 prints; the higher-capacity version yields 500. Monochrome resin ribbons run to 1,000 or more. Actual yield depends on how much of the card is covered in ink.
Can it encode access-control cards?
Yes, with the right configuration. Magnetic stripe and contact or contactless smart card encoders are available as factory options and must be specified at the time of ordering.
What is the DTC1250e price in UAE?
The single-sided DTC1250e is AED 2,700 from idcardprinter.ae, supplied with local warranty support and ribbons available in Dubai.
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