Datacard Introduces Advanced RFID Capabilities for Desktop Card Printers

Datacard Introduces Advanced RFID Capabilities for Desktop Card Printers

Datacard® Select™ and Magna™ Platinum™ Series card printers now offer broadest range of contactless smart card personalization capabilities

Datacard Group today introduced a universal smart card platform for the personalization of radio frequency identification (RFID) cards at the CardTech/SecurTech 2003 Conference and Exhibition in Orlando. The new platform, which supports the industry’s widest range of open and proprietary RFID systems, is available as an option on all Datacard® Select Platinum™ and Magna™ Platinum™ card printers.

The RFID platform supports ISO 14443 and 15693 open standards, as well as proprietary systems from HID, CASI and Indala. “This broad compatibility provides corporations, governments and other security-minded organizations with a single source for their RFID needs,” said Kent Shields, senior vice president and general manager of Datacard’s hardware division. “We offer solutions for virtually any card type they choose.

“Our new platform allows customers to issue RFID cards more efficiently than ever,” Shields said. “In a single pass, they can print cards, encode magnetic stripes, personalize smart cards, download applications and upload information to identity databases.”

The new platform can also be configured to personalize combi, hybrid and dual-interface cards. “This allows customers to issue cards with RFID capabilities for access control and standard smart card capabilities for other functions, such as financial transactions, computer log-on and network access.

“We think developers and integrators will also like our USB-based reader configurations. Datacard and its technology partners provide developer’s kits and configuration utilities to simplify both development and implementation,” Shields said.

In addition to the Select Platinum and Magna Platinum printers, the new Datacard® SP35 card printer offers ISO 14443-A compatibility, the standard used for MIFARE® and other popular applications. “We’re collaborating with a variety of technology partners to expand our offerings and provide a complete portfolio of RFID solutions,” Shields said. “We plan to provide a continuous flow of innovative RFID solutions for our customers.”

Datacard Group provides software, systems and professional services needed to build profitable card programs. The company’s portfolio includes a complete line of smart card solutions, secure digital identity systems and card personalization systems. Datacard Group, which is privately held and based in Minnetonka, Minn., serves customers in more than 120 countries. (http://www.datacard.com).

Contacts

Datacard Group, Minnetonka
Kevin Gillick, 952/988-2846
kevin_gillick@datacard.com