SMART-52L Laminating DTC ID Card Printer
SMART-52L
SMART-52L Laminating DTC ID Card Printer
Ultra-Fast ID Card Printer with Lamination
Ultra-Fast ID Card Printer with Lamination
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Integrated Single-Pass Card Printing & Lamination
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Fast 8-Second Lamination Heat-Up Time
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Print Over 164 Laminated Cards Per Hour
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Advanced Security with Lamination & UV Printing
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Rugged Metal Frame & 3-Year Advanced Exchange Warranty
Reliable Performance for Growing ID Programs
Introducing the SMART-52L ID Card Printer and Laminator—re-engineered to deliver faster performance, smarter control, and reliable credential printing with integrated protection. Designed for mid- to high-volume issuance, it combines automatic two-sided printing and inline lamination for professional employee badges, student IDs, healthcare credentials, and access control cards.
A new multi-core CPU and 512 MB RAM support efficient processing, while a new variable printing algorithm delivers richer, more consistent color. The SMART-52L produces up to 160 cards per hour with YMCK ribbon in simultaneous printing and single-sided lamination mode. Clear or holographic laminate helps protect printed credentials from everyday wear, with holographic options adding a visible security feature.
The standard touchscreen LCD provides direct access to settings, status, and diagnostics. USB and Ethernet are built in, with optional Wi-Fi and a multi-platform printer utility for flexible setup. High-capacity supplies reduce changeovers, while optional encoding supports compatible credential technologies. Backed by IDP’s 3-Year Advanced Exchange Warranty, the SMART-52L brings printing, protection, and dependable performance into one issuance workflow.
Don’t need lamination? Explore the SMART-52D Professional Dual-Sided ID Card Printer or for premium retransfer printing with flawless edge-to-edge image quality, consider the SMART-81D Retransfer ID Card Printer.
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Technical Specifications
Consumables & Accessories
Common Ink Ribbon Ordering Information
Common Laminate Ordering Information
900913
Downloads & Resources
Documentation
Drivers & Firmware
Videos
SMART-51 Getting Started
SMART-51 Series Intro: High-performance, Ruggedized Metal Frame Card Printers
Printer Comparison
| SMART-52L (Current Printer) | SMART-51L DTC Laminator | SMART-81L Retransfer Laminator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed (Cards/Hour) | 164 YMCK/Lam & 130 YMCKK/Lam | 164 YMCK/Lam & 112 YMCKK/Lam | 88 YMCK/Lam & 71 YMCKK/Lam |
| Warranty | 3-Year Advance Exchange + 2-Year Add on option | 3-Year Advance Exchange + 2-Year Add on option | 3-Year Advance Exchange + 2-Year Add on option |
| Ribbon Capacity (Laminate) | 250 1mil Patch Laminate | 250 1mil Patch Laminate | 500 1mil Patch Laminate & 1000 Thinfilm Laminate |
| Unique Feature | New touchscreen color display & ultra-fast printing | Rugged Metal Frame & 8 sec laminator heat-time | Rapid Retransfer Tech & ultra-fast heat up |
Key Benefits
Longer-Lasting Credentials
Help protect printed cards from everyday wear, preserving their appearance and keeping important identification details readable through regular use.
Enhanced Visual Security
Add a recognizable holographic feature that supports visual verification and helps make credentials more difficult to reproduce.
Professional Print Quality
Create vibrant credentials with clear photos, sharp text, and consistent branding, finished with a protective laminate layer.
Streamlined Card Issuance
Print and laminate within one integrated workflow, reducing separate finishing steps and simplifying the production of protected credentials.
Reliable Everyday Performance
Support routine issuance and larger card projects with dependable processing and consistent output, backed by IDP’s 3-Year Advanced Exchange Warranty.
Features
Ideal For
Corporate
Education
Loyalty
Government
Frequently asked questions
The SMART-52L is an ID card printer and laminator for organizations that need professional credentials with added protection. Applications include employee badges, student IDs, healthcare credentials, membership cards, and compatible access control cards used regularly or checked visually.
The SMART-52L combines automatic two-sided printing with integrated lamination. The SMART-52D dual-sided ID card printer provides automatic front-and-back printing without a laminator. Choose the SMART-52L when your credentials require a protective or holographic laminate finish.
Yes. The SMART-52L includes an installed flipper for automatic two-sided printing. This lets you place identification details on the front and additional information on the back. The lamination speeds listed below apply to single-sided lamination, not two-sided lamination.
The SMART-52L produces up to 160 cards per hour with YMCK in simultaneous printing and single-sided lamination mode. The listed printing-and-lamination rates are:
| Mode — Single-Sided Lamination | YMCK | YMCKK |
| Simultaneous | Up to 160 cards/hour | Up to 130 cards/hour |
| One-by-one | Up to 125 cards/hour | Up to 100 cards/hour |
Actual throughput depends on the printing and lamination mode, card design, supplies, settings, and operating conditions.
Printing-only maximums are 280 cards per hour with YMCKO for single-sided color printing, 200 cards per hour with YMCKOK for color-front and black-back printing, and 1,000 cards per hour in monochrome. These figures are separate from printing-and-lamination throughput.
The SMART-52L supports clear and holographic patch films. Clear film adds a protective layer, while holographic film adds protection and a visible verification feature. The listed clear and holographic film rolls each provide 250 cards per roll for a single-sided application. Explore IDP laminate films and printer consumables or contact IDP for compatible supplies.
Yes. A touchscreen LCD is standard and gives you direct access to printer settings, status, and diagnostics. These controls can be used without a connected PC; card design and printing still require an appropriate application or supported issuance workflow.
USB and Ethernet are standard, and Wi-Fi is optional. A multi-platform printer utility supports configuration and management across Windows, macOS, and Linux environments.
The input hopper holds 100 cards, or up to 200 with the cover open. The removable front output hopper holds 40 cards, and an optional rear stacker holds up to 100.
For printing, YMCKO ribbon provides 350 single-sided full-color prints, while YMCKOK provides 300 cards with color on the front and black printing on the back. Printing-ribbon yields and laminate-film yields are separate; the number of completed laminated cards depends on the supplies and workflow selected.
The printer specifications list ISO CR80 cards, with ISO CR79 available as a factory-installed option, and PVC, PET, or composite PVC cards from 0.38–1.0 mm (15–40 mil) thick. For laminated jobs, select a compatible card-and-film combination for your configuration.
Color and monochrome printing are available at 300 dpi. The 600 and 1200 dpi modes apply to monochrome printing only.
Yes, with the appropriate optional encoders, compatible cards, and supplies. Encoding options include magnetic stripe, contact, and contactless technologies. SMARTMark™ printed security can add UV images or text using a compatible YMCFKO printing ribbon.
SMART iDesigner ID card software is included with IDP printers and provides tools for layouts, photos, text, barcodes, and cardholder data. SMART iDesigner runs on Windows.
You can also use compatible third-party card-design and badging software that prints through the appropriate IDP printer driver. Support for encoding, lamination settings, and other advanced functions depends on the software and your printer’s configuration.
The SMART-52L printer is covered by IDP’s 3-Year Advanced Exchange Warranty under the applicable program terms. Contact IDP Americas for coverage details for your configuration. For additional service options, explore IDP ProCare support.
