If you require a large volume of cards to be printed it will be cheaper and time saving/efficient to invest in a more automated ID Card printer as opposed to the hand fed printers; which are more suited for low load/lesser voluminous printing.
This factor comes in conjunction with the point above. While the Single sided ID Card printer is less expensive it is more suited for small batches. As, the single sided ID Card printer requires you to manually flip cards to print on the other side. Whereas the Dual sided ID Card printer can save you a lot of time on larger batches.
Dye Sublimation is the most common and least expensive method; compared to Reverse Transfer method. But it leaves a small white border on the cards. Reverse Transfer( or re-transfer) can achieve higher quality print with full bleed or no border.
Ensure that your system is compatible with your ID card printer. All ID card printers are compatible with PC via USB connection, but not all are compatible with MAC. If you intend on using a MAC please make sure that the ID card printer has MAC compatibility. If multiple systems require access to the ID Card printer, select an ID card printer that has an Ethernet connection
Lamination not only increases physical durability but can also add an extra layer of security by adding holograms on the lamination. Alternatively, without lamination, you can increase security by adding watermarks, holographic stickers, and holographic card stock.