Creating Employee ID Cards

Employee ID cards are one of the most common uses of AccuArk's Card Printer. This guide walks through the complete process of creating professional employee identification badges, including auto-population from employee records, photo loading, barcode configuration, and back side company branding.

Auto-Population from Employee Records

The fastest way to create an employee ID card is to launch the Card Printer directly from an employee record. When opened this way, the card fields are automatically filled with the employee's information:

• Title is set to “EMPLOYEE ID”
• Full Name is populated from the employee's full name (first and last name combined)
• Detail Line 1 shows the employee's position or job title
• Detail Line 2 shows “ID: [employee number]” using the employee's unique identifier
• Detail Line 3 shows “Since: [hire date]” formatted with the employee's hire date
• Barcode Value is set to the employee's ID number, enabling scanner-based identification for access control and time clock systems

All auto-populated fields are fully editable. If you need to adjust the position title, change the date format, or modify any other field, simply click on the text field and type your changes. The preview updates in real time as you edit.

You can also create employee ID cards manually by selecting the Employee ID card type from the Card Type dropdown and entering all fields by hand. This is useful when creating cards for new hires whose records have not yet been entered into AccuArk.

Loading a Photo

Employee ID cards typically include a headshot photograph. To add a photo to the card:

1. Click the Load Photo button on the form
2. A standard Windows file browser dialog opens
3. Navigate to the folder containing the employee's photo
4. Select the image file and click Open

Supported image formats are:

• PNG — Best quality, supports transparency. Recommended for professional headshots.
• JPG / JPEG — Smaller file size, good for photographs. The most common format for digital photos.
• GIF — Supported but not recommended for photos due to limited color depth (256 colors).
• BMP — Windows bitmap format. Large file sizes but no quality loss.

Once loaded, the photo appears in the photo zone on the front of the card. The image is automatically scaled to fit within the defined photo zone while preserving its original aspect ratio, so the photo is never stretched or distorted.

To remove a loaded photo, click the Clear Photo button. The photo zone will become empty, and the card will print without a photo in that area.

Photo Zone Positioning

The photo zone is a rectangular area on the front of the card where the employee's photograph is displayed. Four configurable values control its position and size:

• X Position — The horizontal distance from the left edge of the card to the left edge of the photo zone, measured in inches
• Y Position — The vertical distance from the top edge of the card to the top edge of the photo zone, measured in inches
• Width — The width of the photo zone in inches
• Height — The height of the photo zone in inches

The default position places the photo on the left side of the card, which is the most common layout for identification badges. You can reposition the photo zone anywhere on the card by adjusting these values. The preview updates in real time as you change the coordinates.

AccuArk preserves the photo's original aspect ratio within the defined zone. If the zone's aspect ratio does not match the photo's aspect ratio, the photo is centered within the zone with blank space on the shorter dimension rather than being stretched to fill the entire zone.

Barcode on the Front

The front barcode zone displays the employee's ID number as a CODE_128 barcode. This barcode enables badge scanning for multiple purposes:

• Access control — Scan the badge at door readers to grant or log building access
• Time clock — Scan the badge at time clock terminals for shift clock-in and clock-out
• Identification — Scan the badge at any AccuArk POS terminal to quickly look up the employee's record

The barcode position and size are controlled by four fields:

• Barcode X — Horizontal position from the left edge of the card in inches
• Barcode Y — Vertical position from the top edge of the card in inches
• Barcode Width — The width of the barcode area in inches
• Barcode Height — The height of the barcode area in inches

The barcode is typically placed at the bottom of the front side, below the text fields, where it is easily accessible for scanning. If you do not need a barcode on the front, disable it with the Show Barcode toggle.

Back Side: Company Branding

The back of the employee ID card typically displays company contact information and branding. Click the Load Company button to automatically fill the back side fields:

• Back Line 1 — Company name (pulled from AccuArk company settings)
• Back Line 2 — Company address
• Back Line 3 — Phone number and/or email address
• Back Line 4 — Company website URL

You can edit any of these lines after loading. For example, you might want to add a department-specific phone number, replace the website with a tagline, or add a line like “If found, please return to:” above the address.

The back side also supports an optional barcode. Some organizations place a secondary barcode on the back that encodes different data than the front barcode, such as a department code or a URL linking to the employee's digital profile.

Tips for Professional Employee ID Cards

Photo Consistency

For a professional and uniform appearance across all employee badges, use a consistent photo style. Take all employee photos against the same background (a plain white or light gray wall works well), with the same framing (head and shoulders, centered), and under the same lighting conditions. This creates a cohesive look when employees wear their badges side by side.

Card Size

The standard card size for employee IDs is the CR-80 Standard preset, which measures 3.375 x 2.125 inches. This is the same size as a standard credit card and fits into standard badge holders, lanyards, and retractable badge reels. Unless you have a specific reason to use a different size, CR-80 Standard is the recommended choice.

Print Media

For the best results, print employee ID cards on heavy cardstock (at least 80 lb cover weight) or use a dedicated PVC card printer. Standard copy paper is too thin and flimsy for cards that will be handled daily. If you do not have a card printer, printing on cardstock and laminating the result produces a durable badge that withstands daily wear.

Template Reuse

Save your employee ID card layout as a template after configuring the colors, fonts, photo position, and barcode placement. When creating the next employee's badge, load the template and only the data fields need to change. This ensures every badge in your organization has the same professional layout and branding.