Do you often lose your ID card? Do you want a way to ensure your card remains protected and scratch-free? If you do, what you need is a badge holder.
Some ID cards today are still made of printed paper. These kinds of ID cards can get wet, torn, or worn out very fast. Even when you have a laminated or PVC-type ID card, wear and tear can still damage it.
Badge holders are ingenious devices created to protect and hold ID cards. They’re often made of plastic materials with metal or plastic clips. Paired with polyester lanyards, reels, or other similar items, they increase the chances that you’ll never lose your ID card again.
Read on below for our quick guide on badge holders.
The main purpose of ID cards is for identification, of course. It’s also how employees get payment verification, access, and tracking services. However, when the cards get lost or damaged, it can lead to inconvenience.
Cardholders can help prevent events like that. However, not all of them are the same.
The most common badge holder style is the standard plastic badge holder. It’s popular because it’s the cheapest typem and is often used for one-time events like conventions and trade shows.
The convention badge holder is larger than the standard badge holder. It may have more than one pocket for holding other badges or items.
If you want something that offers more protection, go for the vinyl badge holder.
The thicker and less flexible material works best with proximity cards. You can also use this for magnetic strip cards. It has a space to expose the magnetic stripe and cardholders to lock the card in place.
Card protectors offer the most protection for ID cards. They prevent the card from bending or getting damaged. The rigid material protects smart cards or other sensitive cards.
A clip-on badge holder has a built-in clip on the back of it. You can often see this as a badge holder for visitor ID cards and passes.
Holders have different orientations to fit your ID card needs. Not all ID cards have the same size and orientation. Some are horizontal, others are vertical, and some can go either way.
You may also notice that ID cards have varying sizes.
There is a standard ID card size. Known as a CR80, it's 3.375" x 2.125", the same size as a typical credit card. The government or military size ID card is larger than the standard ID card. An event size ID card is much larger, often used for conventions.
There is a wide array of sizes of cardholders too. The most common ones will fit the sizes above. However, you can also order custom-size badge holders for ID cards that don’t have typical sizes.
The most obvious use of an ID badge holder is to prevent the loss of ID cards. It’s inconvenient and can be costly to go through the process of getting another ID from your school or organization. Some organizations charge a lot when it comes to reprinting an ID card.
American college students spend around $83.6 million on replacing lost ID cards yearly. To avoid all this, take good care of the ID card that you already have. Avoid ID card losses for employees or students by supplying holders for them.
With badge holders, you cut down on ID expenses. This is also a practice that is safe for the environment. With badge protectors, you’re not throwing away or using as many resources to keep replacing ID cards.
Another reason why you need holders is to protect your ID cards. If you like to keep memorabilia from life events, ID cards make great mementos. Take care of your ID cards from elementary school to the last place of work with plastic holders.
Uniformity is another advantage holders give you. Give employees or students the same kind of badge holders to show the cohesion of your company or school. To outsiders to the organization, it looks impressive and standardized.
Do the same when you have company outings or team building activities. You can let people in the venue you’re going to that you’re with the group. It’s also a way of recognizing who's there from your group.
Are you confused about which badge holder or card protector to get? Identify the purposes of each type first. Before you decide, make sure you also know the dimensions of the ID cards.
Know which will best benefit the users of the badge holders. Construction workers will need sturdy badge holders, while the standard plastic holders are enough for office-based workers.
Do you want to give the different teams or departments in the workplace a bit of identity? Color-code the holders you get for each department.
You can do the same if you’re hosting a team building activity. Most of the time, employees get divided into smaller groups, and may be pitted against each other. Pick out different color badge holders in line with each team’s color-coded T-shirts or caps.
Employees working the night shift might like badge holders with reflective surfaces. They're a way to ensure they have security in areas with dim or low lights. You can even put it in a set with a glow-in-the-dark lanyard and reflective armbands.
If you plan a giveaway with promotional lanyards, it’s best to add a badge holder into the mix as well. The receivers of the promo giveaway can then wear it right away.
Getting badge holders may not seem like a big deal. They’re small items that some people might even prefer not to use. However, these small details show your company’s personality.
They also help cut down on ID costs, since they prevent the loss of ID cards. Avoiding ID card damage is another thing that badge holders do for you. It pays to look neat and clean, especially in the workplace.
If you liked this post on badge holders, feel free to check out our other blog posts. Are you looking to order lanyards to use with your badge holder? Talk to us today!
