Zebra ZC100 Card Printer

The Zebra ZC100 is a compact, easy-to-use direct-to-card printer designed for standard single-sided card printing. It is a strong choice for organisations that need employee badges, visitor cards, membership cards, event passes, guest cards, season passes or basic identification cards, but do not require the more advanced dual-sided flexibility of higher models. The ZC100 is built around simplicity. It is designed to work right out of the box, with plug-and-play USB deployment and an intuitive driver interface that makes card printing easier for non-technical users. The driver provides a graphical view of the card design, helping operators see how settings affect the output before printing and reducing the need for repeated test cards. Card handling is one of the ZC100’s key practical advantages. The auto-adjusting input hopper handles varying card thicknesses without manual adjustment, making it easier to switch between supported card stocks. The input hopper holds 100 cards and the output hopper also holds 100 cards, based on 30 mil cards. This equal capacity reduces the need for frequent refilling and emptying during regular card issuance. Manual card feeding is also simplified. The printer includes manual card feed capability with an LED bezel that guides the user through the process. This is useful when a single special card needs to be printed without loading a full batch into the hopper. Ribbon changing is designed to be straightforward. The ZC100 uses simple-to-load ribbon cartridges, with embedded smart technology that automatically detects and authenticates Zebra genuine ribbons. This helps users understand when a ribbon needs to be changed and reduces operator errors. A cleaning roller is included with each ribbon. The ZC100 uses dye-sublimation thermal transfer direct-to-card printing. It supports full-colour or monochrome printing, single-sided output and edge-to-edge printing on standard CR80 media. Print resolution is 300 dpi, with an image size of 1006 × 640 pixels. Throughput is listed at up to 150 cards per hour for single-sided YMCKO colour printing and up to 700 cards per hour for single-sided monochrome printing, based on batch printing with USB connectivity. The printer supports standard CR80 ISO 7810 ID-1 cards and CR79 cards. Supported card thickness is 10 to 40 mil, and supported card materials include PVC and PVC composite. Adhesive-back and writable-back cards are also listed. The supplied specification notes that spot colour or monochrome printing is recommended only on cards thicker than 20 mil and on CR79 cards. The ZC100 is designed for a “fit everywhere” deployment model. Its compact footprint and slim profile make it suitable for reception desks, retail counters, hospital admission desks, school offices, membership desks and other customer-facing areas where space is limited. The printer measures 258 mm high, 157 mm wide and 383 mm deep, and weighs 3.9 kg. Connectivity is simple but expandable. USB 2.0 is standard for a standalone card printing station. Built-in 10/100 Ethernet is available as an option, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi is also optional. This allows the ZC100 to be used either as a local printer connected to one computer or as a shared networked printer when the required connectivity options are selected. Security features are important for card issuance environments. The ZC100 includes printer-host authentication and data encryption to help prevent printing from unauthorised applications or devices and protect sensitive data during printing. A Kensington secure lock slot is standard. A printer cover lock and lockable enclosure are available as field-upgradeable options, helping protect card stock in public-facing areas. The ZC100 also supports Print Touch NFC and a Quick Help QR code for online printer help and documentation access. This helps operators find support information quickly and simplifies interaction with the printer in day-to-day use. Encoding support includes a field-upgradeable magnetic stripe encoder option compliant with ISO 7811. It supports new and pre-encoded cards, tracks 1, 2 and 3, high and low coercivity, stripe-down orientation and 30 mil cards only. This makes the ZC100 suitable for basic “swipe-and-go” magnetic stripe card applications when the correct option is selected. Ribbon options include YMCKO, half-panel YMCKO and monochrome ribbons in black, white, red, blue, gold and silver, with cartridge image counts depending on ribbon type. The ZC100 is designed to work only with Zebra genuine ribbons, and Zebra supplies are recommended for consistent print quality and reliable operation. Driver support includes Microsoft Windows environments listed in the supplied material, as well as Linux Ubuntu 16.x and Apple macOS 10.13.x. Windows drivers include colour-coded printer status indicators, black panel extraction controls, specialty ribbon panel controls with image preview, operator access restrictions for image quality and printer settings, plus advanced configuration, security and diagnostics capabilities. The ZC100 operates from 15°C to 35°C, with operating humidity from 20% to 80% non-condensing. Media storage recommendations are 5°C to 25°C and 35% to 65% non-condensing humidity. Electrical input is auto-switching single-phase AC power with the specified operating ranges. Overall, the Zebra ZC100 is a practical entry-level card printer for organisations that need professional single-sided CR80 card printing in a compact, secure and easy-to-use device. It is best suited for employee IDs, visitor badges, membership cards, event passes, guest cards and similar card programmes where simplicity, small footprint and reliable output are more important than dual-sided printing or advanced encoding.

Datasheet

Product Features

• Connection: USB, Ethernet
• Resolution: 300 dpi

Product Identifiers

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