Split-Ribbon Color Printing; Manage Color; Print Text In Color; Print Graphics In Color - DataCard SD260 Installation And Administrator's Manual

Split-Ribbon Color Printing

Split‐ribbon color printing lets you use less ribbon to print cards in color. It is available only with
the Card Printer Driver. Refer to your printer's Driver Guide for information about how to specify
split‐ribbon color printing and the split ribbon options available.
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 ribbon installed in the printer and the split‐ribbon option
selected on the printer's 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 topcoat
are available when you use split‐ribbon printing.

Manage Color

Color management is the process of making color on the PC monitor and printed card appear as
similar as possible. For color management, the card printer uses the sRGB color standard
(standard Red, Green, and Blue color space). You specify the color management system in Printer
Manager. Refer to "Print" on page

Print Text in Color

The printer can print text in any color. Small characters are likely to be more readable if they are a
sans‐serif font formatted as black and printed with the black (K) panel. Refer to "Print Text in
Monochrome" on page

Print Graphics in Color

The printer produces full‐color images from most types of graphics. It can use BMP, JPEG, TIFF,
and PNG file formats for photos and logos.
Vector graphics, such as WMF and SVG files, have components such as shapes with lines and fills.
Components defined as black normally print with the K panel.
Because the printer uses the print ribbon panels in sequence (YMC first, then K), black images can
print over color graphics. For the best appearance of color graphics, or to prevent backgrounds
that are black from printing over colored images, use a color that appears black but is not, so that
all parts of an image print with the YMC panels. For example, in the RGB color space, 0, 0, 0 is
black (and prints with the K panel), but 0, 0, 5 is not black (and prints with the YMC panels).
SD260L/SD360/SD460 Installation and Administrator's GuideSD160/SD260 Installation and
44 for more information.
19. The printer supports 6‐point or larger text.