Aplusid

If your ID cards need to contain information unique to the card holder, you may have wondered if magnetic stripe encoding is the best choice in your situation or if bar codes will do. Here at A Plus ID we’ve seen these technologies in many settings and have noticed a clear trend: in some cases, magnetic stripe encoding is simply the better choice. They provide more security and are harder to duplicate. But there’s more nuance to this topic than first meets the eye. Let’s go deeper into the subject of magnetic stripe encoding versus bar codes to see what they can achieve for your organization.

Security

The most important aspect when it comes to comparing magnetic stripe encoding and bar codes is the level of security that is needed. With bar codes, the information is in plain view and easy to duplicate, while a magnetic stripe requires a card reader and a printer with encoding capabilities to copy. Therefore, one of the best ways to address this is to ask yourself; “what would happen if the information on the card was compromised?”

For example, if you’re issuing ID cards for a gym membership, someone duplicating the information on the card might be able to use the facilities free of charge for a while (they’d get caught eventually because of software that keeps track of when members visited the facility).

Another setting might be a loyalty rewards card for a store that gives out points to member for purchases. There wouldn’t be much sense for someone to duplicate such a card because all they’d do is earn points for someone else!

In the two scenarios described above, the security of the information on the card isn’t incredibly important. Further, it can even be argued that such cards aren’t really about security but about efficiency – automating a process to make it faster. In these instances a magnetic stripe isn’t truly necessary. Using simple bar codes can achieve 99% of your goals.

On the other hand, settings like a hospitals, schools, or correctional facilities have much greater need for security. Here, the ramifications of a duplicated card can include serious injury, theft, and even death. Therefore, a card with magnetically encoded information is a much better choice for high security applications, because it’s much harder to duplicate than a bar code.

Ease of Use

One of the benefits of magnetic stripe encoding is that the technology has become widespread and easy to use. However, there are some small drawbacks to magnetic stripes when compared to bar codes.

For example, magnetic stripes can become demagnetized and non functional. Further, scratches on the card or problems with the card reader can cause issues. It can be especially frustrating when the problem pops up in a customer service setting and increases wait times for patrons.

A bar code is typically much easier to use. Most people don’t have a problem scanning product bar codes in the store during self checkout, or using their library cards with automated kiosks. This is because the technology is simpler and has less possible points of failure (a bar code cannot get demagnetized and it’s very hard to scratch off fully).

Therefore, when using cards for settings where security is not the main concern, bar codes can save time and frustration. On the other hand, magnetic stripe encoding is a much better choice for financial transactions (like gift cards), room keys in hotels, and ID cards for medical facilities.

Cost

Of course, it’s also important to consider your budget. Bar codes are printed with a regular ID printer ribbon and don’t require any additional technology. To issue cards with magnetic stripes, however, your ID printer must have a magnetic stripe encoder. Typically, having such additional features will make the device a bit more expensive.

If you’d like help choosing the right solution for your needs, please give us a call at (866) 433-9737