ColorID success story with James Madison University
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ColorID implements HID® FARGO® Connect™ to
help eliminate 15% card waste and recover 125 hours.
help eliminate 15% card waste and recover 125 hours.
Founded in 1908 and located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, James Madison University (JMU) is a public institution that is fast becoming one of the nation’s leading providers of higher education. Its nearly 36,350 students — including 20,346 undergraduates and 1,878 graduates — enjoy unusually engaged relationships with world-class faculty whose top priority is teaching. JMU offers 139 programs of study taught by more than 1,460 faculty and offers an average class size of 25 students, which contributes to the university’s 96 percent satisfaction rate.
CHALLENGES:
Frequent printer jams, card waste, long service delays, and poor print quality
JMU struggled with numerous issues related to its identification card printers. Most notably, the previous generation of printers suffered from stability issues and frequent jams, wasting 15% of cards each year that had to be reprinted. Exacerbating the problem was a significant lack of service whenever issues arose. For example, it took an average of 3-6 weeks to resolve problems, and requests were generally met with significant pushback and delay tactics. The constant disruptions frustrated the card office staff, which had to deal with a constant flow of complaints related to printing delays and problems. Batch printing capabilities were also missing from the initial implementation.
“We give suppliers an opportunity to fail us, and our previous printer supplier failed us in a big way and more than once,” said Nathan Gray, Systems Administrator, JMU.
Problems extended to the cards themselves. Templates were difficult to use, were not particularly intuitive or user-friendly, and required up to an hour to bring cards online. Print quality was also problematic, as the solid black and purple card backgrounds appeared blotchy and degraded quickly. The reason for these issues given by the previous supplier was that their card design was too challenging for the printers, and the only solution offered was to redesign the cards themselves — which JMU did not consider an option.
Frequent printer jams, card waste, long service delays, and poor print quality
JMU struggled with numerous issues related to its identification card printers. Most notably, the previous generation of printers suffered from stability issues and frequent jams, wasting 15% of cards each year that had to be reprinted. Exacerbating the problem was a significant lack of service whenever issues arose. For example, it took an average of 3-6 weeks to resolve problems, and requests were generally met with significant pushback and delay tactics. The constant disruptions frustrated the card office staff, which had to deal with a constant flow of complaints related to printing delays and problems. Batch printing capabilities were also missing from the initial implementation.
“We give suppliers an opportunity to fail us, and our previous printer supplier failed us in a big way and more than once,” said Nathan Gray, Systems Administrator, JMU.
Problems extended to the cards themselves. Templates were difficult to use, were not particularly intuitive or user-friendly, and required up to an hour to bring cards online. Print quality was also problematic, as the solid black and purple card backgrounds appeared blotchy and degraded quickly. The reason for these issues given by the previous supplier was that their card design was too challenging for the printers, and the only solution offered was to redesign the cards themselves — which JMU did not consider an option.
“It was a two-and-half year nightmare of trying to get the printers to simply print. I didn’t even care about the software solution; I just wanted a printer that worked and wasn’t a pain point for our office staff.”
Jason Chandler
Sr. Technician at JMU
Jason Chandler
Sr. Technician at JMU
SOLUTION:
Streamlining card issuance, improving reliability, and reducing costs
Streamlining card issuance, improving reliability, and reducing costs
At the conclusion of their six-month evaluation process, JMU selected HID partner ColorID, a trusted and certified HID FARGO Connect delivery partner with an exceptional record of implementation and service worldwide. ColorID’s consultative sales approach helped identify JMU’s pain points, and the choice was clear to implement HID FARGO Connect and the FARGO HDP6600 Card Printer & Encoder.
HID FARGO Connect is a cloud-based card issuance platform that brings together hardware, software, consumables, and services, simplifying the operation and support of the entire ID card issuance office. It increases visibility, control and security, reduces costs, and centralizes all the elements of a secure card issuance program into a single integrated system.
The HDP6600 retransfer printer issues secure and durable, high-definition ID cards at high speeds. An eco-friendly and reliable solution, the printer is designed to meet the needs of cost- and efficiency-conscious organizations, producing cards at unprecedented speeds and helping cut high-volume lamination materials costs by up to 40%.
“The actual deciding factor was that without any hesitation ColorID sent us a printer to try and it reliably printed our cards. It was so much simpler, and the FARGO Connect console made a huge difference. It provides us with increased dependability and reliability,” said Gray.
“We were able to fill their needs with a flexible and adaptable solution that checked all the boxes. JMU very much appreciate that we regularly request their feedback for future enhancements of FARGO Connect,” added Alicia Bensley, Operations Manager for Higher Education at ColorID.
HID FARGO Connect is a cloud-based card issuance platform that brings together hardware, software, consumables, and services, simplifying the operation and support of the entire ID card issuance office. It increases visibility, control and security, reduces costs, and centralizes all the elements of a secure card issuance program into a single integrated system.
The HDP6600 retransfer printer issues secure and durable, high-definition ID cards at high speeds. An eco-friendly and reliable solution, the printer is designed to meet the needs of cost- and efficiency-conscious organizations, producing cards at unprecedented speeds and helping cut high-volume lamination materials costs by up to 40%.
“The actual deciding factor was that without any hesitation ColorID sent us a printer to try and it reliably printed our cards. It was so much simpler, and the FARGO Connect console made a huge difference. It provides us with increased dependability and reliability,” said Gray.
“We were able to fill their needs with a flexible and adaptable solution that checked all the boxes. JMU very much appreciate that we regularly request their feedback for future enhancements of FARGO Connect,” added Alicia Bensley, Operations Manager for Higher Education at ColorID.
RESULTS:
High-quality cards with improved efficiency and reliability
JMU is now live on HID FARGO Connect with three HDP6600 printers generating up to 10,000 cards each year. The HID system has eliminated the previous 15% card waste and enabled JMU to recover approximately 125 hours annually that were previously lost due to reprinting cards affected by printer jams.
Where it used to take around 45 minutes to create new card templates, it now takes just 15-30 minutes. The HID system also flawlessly generates high-quality cards with JMU’s solid purple and black backgrounds with no degradation or other quality issues.
High-quality cards with improved efficiency and reliability
JMU is now live on HID FARGO Connect with three HDP6600 printers generating up to 10,000 cards each year. The HID system has eliminated the previous 15% card waste and enabled JMU to recover approximately 125 hours annually that were previously lost due to reprinting cards affected by printer jams.
Where it used to take around 45 minutes to create new card templates, it now takes just 15-30 minutes. The HID system also flawlessly generates high-quality cards with JMU’s solid purple and black backgrounds with no degradation or other quality issues.
Ask ColorID how we can help you transition to best-in-class secure issuance solution!
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