Specifications

16 Elements of Card Design
Printing Design
Color Printing
Colorprintribbonisavailableinfull‐panelandshort‐panelstyles.
Full-Panel Ribbon
Full‐panelcolorprintingusesaprintribbon
withthreecolorpanels:Y(yellow),
M(magenta),andC(cyan).Theribbonalso
includesaK(black)panelandaT(topcoat)
panel.TheprinterappliestheYMCcolorpanelstothecardfirst,printsblack
componentsusingtheKpanel,andthenappliestheT(topcoat)toprotectthe
colorimagefromdamage.
Short-Panel Ribbon
Colorprintribbonalsoisavailableinashort‐
paneloption.Thecolorareaforshort‐panel
ribbonis1.57inches(40mm).Theymcpanelsof
short‐panelribbonareapproximatelyhalfthe
lengthofafullcar d.(Inthisguide,“ymc”inlowercase,insteadof“YMC,”refersto
“short‐panel”colorpanels.)
Whenyouprintwithshort‐panelprintribbon,youdefinethelocationofthecolor
areainthecarddesign.Colorprintingbeginswhenthesoftwaredetectsacolor
pixelandcontinuesforthelengthoftheymcpanels.
Split-Ribbon Color Printing
Split‐ribboncolorprintingletsyouusefewerribbonstoprintcardsincolor.Itis
availableonlywiththeCardPrinterDriver.Refertoyourprinter’sDriverGuidefor
informationonhowtospecifysplit
‐ribboncolorprinting.
Split‐ribboncolorprintingusesasingleribbonpanelsetfromafull‐colorribbon
toprintbothsidesofacard,ratherthantwoorthreepanelsets.Theribboncan
beafull‐panelorshort‐panelcolorribbon.Theorderinwhichthecolor,black,

andtopcoatsectionsofthepanelsetareusedtoprintthecarddependsonthe
typeofri bboninstalledintheprinterandthesplit‐ribbonoptionselectedonthe
driverPrintingPreferenceswindow.
Mosttypesofcards,includingcardswithmagneticstripesandsmartcards,canbe
printedusingsplit‐ribbonprinting.Optionsforcolor,monochrome,andtopcoating
areavailablewhenyouusesplit‐ribbonprinting.