Print technology has evolved substantially over the past 15 years. In the past it was unfeasible for individuals to print their own photo ID cards on plastic cards, because the equipment required was only available to specialized print companies or large corporations. However, today desktop ID card printers are available at a reasonable cost, and can be set up and operated by anyone with good computer skills. A variety of manufacturers offer them, such as Evolis, DataCard, Fargo, and Magicard. Of course the budget for a basic printer and associated software and supplies will still be several thousand dollars, meaning it is only a viable alternative if you have a lot of ID cards to print.
If you only require a limited number of photo ID cards, a better alternative may be to use an online cloud service such as InstantCard. These on-demand services are available at a much more reasonable cost, and can provide a range of added-value options like holographic overlay, magstripe, RFID, etc. By the time you have ordered and received a printer, set it up, and learned the technology, you can already have dozens of professional photo ID cards in hand! In additional, you’ll get lots of compliments on the high quality of your ID cards. See: https://instantcard.net/why-are-your-cards-so-pretty/
Good suggestions for making sure you have considered all aspects of your company’s photo ID card policy can be found here: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/inform-employees-identification-badge-policy-39939.html.
