One of the most well used yet unnoticed items in our day to day lives is lanyards. We use these often, to hold ID cards which are hung around our neck or pinned to our shirt. Lanyards are a very useful invention and can be used for a variety of purposes. There are different types of lanyards made from different materials. Some of these are hand woven, while some are printed.
The most important use of lanyards is ID cards. Mostly all organisations that print ID cards also provide lanyards as well. All employees are expected to wear these ID cards to work. To capitalise on this, organisations can also print their lanyards with their company name and logo on them for brand exposure.
Lanyards are also used by us to carry our gadgets such as cameras, MP3 players and phones etc. They are really important for expensive gizmos like these as it prevents them from getting lost or forgotten and can be kept with us around our neck or wrist.
Lanyards are also perfect for promotional purposes such as events, trade shows and exhibitions etc. This can be printed with brand logos and thus give rise to brand identity. Lanyards are also worn at sports events by umpires and referees.
Lanyards can be customised according to your requirements. They are made from different types of material such as Polyester and Nylon. They are available in different forms of printing which can fit in with your budget quite easily.
ID cards have become of great concern due to security reasons. The need to tighten access and only allow authorised people to enter offices and big buildings has become really important. Even places such as museums, airports, libraries, colleges and schools have found it necessary to have ID cards.
ID cards allow you to have access control in a place. It imposes restrictions on people who are unauthorised to access the place and do not belong there. ID cards allow you to be free from imposters who could impersonate themselves as somebody else. ID cards help create a unique access code that allows only the authorised personnel to enter into places where there are certain restrictions and data-sensitive areas.
Big organisations hire people to install safety measures for access control into their buildings in order to prevent any threats or risks. Just like how you keep changing your passwords on the internet there is the need for companies to keep changing the codes of their ID cards from time to time. This can keep thieves from breaking in and robbing crucial data and assets.
Access control is not only monitored by watchmen but perfected by computers so access will be restricted in cases where ID cards are not recognised. In order for the access control to be safe and produce the best results, there is a need for constant revision of the code and updating of all ID cards.
Last year, London was in third position where the most numbers of people who were the victim of Identity theft were based, but this year London is in the first position. Till now, there have been more than 59,000 cases of ID fraud which have been recorded by the fraud prevention service, CIFAS. These records are much higher, compared to last year.
The Metropolitan Service’s Specialist & Economic Crime Unit (SCD6) has shut down more than 27 illegal printing factories and they seized 30,000 false IDs within the last 18 months.
Nick Downing, the chief inspector from SCD6 said that these illegal factories make all kind of plastic cards and the IDs which they have seized were construction work permits, drivers’ licences, insurance cards and credit cards.
Scotland Yard said that the fraudsters have hijacked the systems of financial institutions and it is easy for them to identify individuals with good credit ratings and they then create a fraud kit which is worth £40,000. These duplicate ID cards are bought by criminals and this result in fraudulent applications for credit cards, mortgages and bank accounts.
CIFAS also further stated that these users should be aware of websites and they need to be careful before entering any sensitive information onto these websites.
It is really shocking to find that only 10,000 British citizens found it important to get an ID card. However, the Home Office feels that this is a positive sign. According to figures revealed by the government last week, thousands of Britons were waiting to get the ID cards.
The Home office told IT PRO that the 10,000 people who have shown interest in getting ID cards have done so through the DirectGov website.
James Hall, chief executive of the Identity and Passport Service said that the response from people who are interested is a positive sign. The interest to obtain ID cards shows how important, safe and convenient it is for people to prove their identity.
He went on to say that the consumer awareness campaign will be launched along with the cards in Great Manchester. This will raise the profile of the identity cards scheme even more.
In the city of Manchester, where almost half a million people live, only 2,000 volunteers have been found. These figures were given out by the Manchester Evening News. Since the time the scheme was declared it has been surrounded by controversy. Until now, only persons from outside the country have had to have ID cards. However, Gordon Brown said in his conference speech that it is not compulsory to have ID cards.
There are other political parties who went on to say that if they came into power they would abandon this scheme completely.
The immigration minister for the UK, Mr Phil Woolas has declared that his own civil servants would be the first Britons to be granted identity cards. He told MPs that UK nationals could apply for the cards from the 27th of October onwards.
He continued to say that this is applicable for all those people who work in the home office, password service, and other places where people are working in relation to identity cards.
The people in the North West of England will be invited to apply for these identity cards and this scheme will be trialed on the residents of Greater Manchester by the end of this year. It will also be extended to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.
The reason why the government is selling these ID cards to its own staff is to prove how beneficial this scheme is. Non-EU nationals have already begun receiving their ID cards even though there is still a doubt that British people will take to the scheme.
Identification cards today have become a common sight in schools, colleges and offices. With security issues on the rise, the need for authentication of identification is gaining more significance.
Lanyards are used to support or hold ID cards. And, different brands are competing to have unique lanyards to go with their ID cards. The need for lanyards to stand out from others and be more appealing is now becoming more necessary. There are many kinds and many different types of lanyards available today.
Lanyards made from polyester are quite popular. It is the most inexpensive and durable material.
Lanyards made from nylon are generally smoother than most others. They have a high quality finish and also have a nice shiny look. They offer a good surface for silk screen printing and heat transfer impression.
Recycled PET lanyards are the most environment friendly type of lanyards. They are made from recycled water bottles and plastic cups. The printing process used is through dye sublimation and can accommodate up to 256 colours. The best feature of this type of lanyard is that it can produce more than one colour as a background.
So, these are the various types of lanyard materials and a little info about the manufacturing processes connected to them. All you need to do is select the type of lanyard which matches your requirements and fits in with your organisation’s values and ethics.
Identity theft is one of many crimes in the UK which is not only affecting individuals but is also affecting many businesses. Nowadays, identity theft is of greater concern than traditional crimes such as mugging, pick pocketing and burglary.
According to a study published at the beginning of National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, identity theft is increasing to the extent that more than 59,000 criminal acts have been recorded. South-East London and Birmingham are the most common areas for identity fraud to occur, where the crime rate has increased by 36% compared to last year.
About 81% of Brits are worried about becoming a victim of ID theft, according to a report by the fraud prevention service, CIFAS.
Even though the number of fraud cases is increasing, many individuals and businesses are not taking serious steps to protect themselves. 22% of people access their bank details in internet cafes or at work places and 79% of businesses make no effort to destroy sensitive material containing personal details.
Peter Hurst, the CIFAS Chief Executive, has said that fraud is a dangerous crime which not only affects businesses financially but can also have an impact on the reputation of the company. He then went on to say that fraud prevention is the duty of both the private and public sectors.
Lastly, CIFAS recommended that consumers need to be familiar with postal bill dates and check sites which begins with https:// before giving out any personal information.
ID card software is an important tool that determines the security aspect of ID cards and badges. Efficient ID card software is a must to enhance the security system and protect all important data. Various factors together constitute the ID card software.
Printing and colour coding
As mentioned, the ID card software is the basis of overall security.
However, you will also need appropriate devices like card printers and peripherals in order to create the security features of the ID card. You will need a specific printer for colour coding, if you wish to print the card in colour.
Colour coding will help you to increase on site security. You can achieve this by assigning specific colours to a particular group of people or to a department working in your office. For instance, you can incorporate a yellow ID card for the finance department. This is necessary to distinguish between different departments.
Production of ID cards
Decide the type of ID card well in advance. Single sided and double sided cards are the two options available in this category. You should also select the type of support before the production process. Objects such as paper badges, labels and PVC cards are generally used for printing. You can further save money by selecting the ‘K option’ embedded in your printer device. This will save a lot of ink and will produce greyscale or
black objects. Advanced ID card software provides you with photo editing feature as well.
Such sophisticated software solutions can also be used to produce a variety of cards such as employee ID cards, access control cards and student ID cards.
Organisations big and small have a common need for identifying their employees with ID cards. There are many things that come into consideration when making ID cards such as choosing the right lanyard materials, choosing the appropriate paper for printing, lamination and also having specific card printers to make sure they look professional.
Good quality ID cards need to be made with the help of identity card printers. These customised ID cards look more authentic and also work better for security purposes. There are many types of card printers available in the market today that cater to the different requirements of an organisation.
The PR53LE card printers can handle thickness from 20-50mm. They are commonly used to make employee badges. They are also known for their flexibility.
The PR5300 card printers allows for magnetic stripe encoding. This is preferred for loyalty cards since it has a very sleek finish. This machine is also known for its ease of operation.
The PR5350 card printers can handle several varieties of encoding types from smart cards to proximity devices and is seen as the most versatile card printer. It also offers dual side printing, hence lessening the chances of forgery. It is also known for its durability.
The PR-C101 card printer offers unique badge creation software. It is seen as the complete package among card printers. It allows for more customisation and has more options to work with.
