Zebra ZC300 Single-Sided ID Card Printer (ZC31-000C000EM00)
Zebra ZC300 (ZC31-000C000EM00) is a versatile single-sided ID card printer designed with ground-breaking simplicity and flexibility for various card printing applications. Featuring 300 dpi (11.8 dots/mm) print resolution and edge-to-edge printing capability, this printer delivers professional-quality color and monochrome cards with impressive speeds of up to 200 cards per hour…
Introduction
The Zebra ZC300 (ZC31-000C000EM00) is a revolutionary single-sided ID card printer that combines advanced printing technology with unprecedented ease of use. Designed to address and eliminate virtually all pain points associated with card printing, this printer offers a perfect balance of performance, flexibility, and simplicity. Whether you need to print employee badges, membership cards, or access control credentials, the ZC300 delivers professional-quality results with minimal effort, making it an ideal solution for organizations of all sizes across various industries.
Design and Physical Characteristics
The ZC300 features a sleek, modern design that stands out from traditional card printers. With its consumer-good looks, the printer is specifically engineered to fit seamlessly into customer-facing environments such as retail stores and hospital admission desks. Its compact dimensions of 10.2″ × 6.2″ × 15.1″ (258mm × 157mm × 383mm) and lightweight construction at just 8.8 lbs (4.0kg) make it one of the slimmest printers in its class, allowing it to fit in space-constrained areas where other printers simply cannot.
The printer’s thoughtful design extends to its operational features, with saloon-style output doors that allow users to simply grab one card or the entire stack without having to open any compartments. Both input and output hoppers have the same capacity, reducing the need to refill and empty the hoppers at different intervals.
User Interface and Experience
One of the most innovative aspects of the ZC300 is its highly intuitive user interface. The printer features a graphical color LCD display that provides well-tested icons, animations, and text-based messages in multiple languages, including English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), German, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Arabic. This multilingual support ensures that users worldwide can interact with the printer in their preferred language.
For manual card feeding operations, the ZC300 incorporates a unique lightpipe that guides users through the process, similar to the way ATMs guide customers through their interactions. This feature significantly simplifies what can otherwise be a complicated procedure.
The printer’s driver has been completely redesigned with a graphical user interface that makes card printing easier than ever. Settings are logically grouped into tabs where they are easily accessible with a single click. A visual display of the card provides an instant preview of how the card will look, eliminating the time and cost associated with repeatedly printing test cards.
Printing Technology and Performance
The ZC300 utilizes dye-sublimation thermal transfer direct-to-card printing technology to produce vibrant, long-lasting cards. With a print resolution of 300 dpi (11.8 dots/mm), it delivers sharp text, clear barcodes, and vivid images with edge-to-edge printing capability on standard CR-80 media.
The printer offers impressive performance metrics:
- Monochrome printing: Up to 900 cards per hour (single-sided)
- Color printing (YMCKO): Up to 200 cards per hour (single-sided)
- Dual-sided color printing (YMCKOK): Up to 140 cards per hour
- Dual-sided monochrome printing: Up to 450 cards per hour
These speeds are based on batch printing with USB connectivity and may vary depending on the computer configuration.
Card Handling and Capacity
The ZC300 features a revolutionary card feeder that automatically adjusts to the thickness of each card, eliminating the need for manual adjustments when switching between different card stocks. This auto-adjusting input hopper has a capacity of 100 cards (30 mil), matching the output hopper’s capacity of 100 cards.
For individual card printing needs, the printer also offers a manual card feeding capability with an LED bezel that guides users through the process. This flexibility makes the ZC300 suitable for both batch printing operations and one-off card issuance scenarios.
Ribbon and Consumables Management
Changing ribbons in the ZC300 has been simplified to the point where no instructions are required. The newly designed ribbon door latch unlocks and opens in one motion, while the unique door-handle style grip leaves no question about how to remove or insert the ribbon. Embedded smartchips in the ribbons provide instant notification when it’s time for a replacement.
The printer supports a variety of Zebra True Colours ix Series ribbons:
- YMCKO: 200 image rolls
- YMCKO: 300 image rolls
- YMCKOK: 200 image rolls
- ½ YMCKO: 400 image rolls
- ½ YMCKOKO: 250 image rolls
- KrO: 700 image rolls
- KdO: 700 image rolls
- Black Monochrome: 2000 image rolls
- Black Monochrome: 1500 image rolls
- White Monochrome: 1500 image rolls
- Red Monochrome: 1500 image rolls
- Blue Monochrome: 1500 image rolls
- Gold Monochrome: 1500 image rolls
- Silver Monochrome: 1500 image rolls
Connectivity and Software
The ZC300 comes standard with USB 2.0 and built-in 10/100 Ethernet connectivity, with optional 802.11ac Wi-Fi capability for wireless printing. This range of connectivity options provides flexibility in deployment scenarios, from standalone printing stations to shared network resources.
The printer is equipped with 2 GB of flash memory and can process images up to 1006 × 640 pixels in size. It supports auto-calibration of ribbon and features Print Touch NFC tags for online printer help and documentation access.
The ZC300 is compatible with Zebra’s CardStudio™ card design and issuance software, which offers a simple and complete card design experience with basic to advanced features. It’s available in four editions and offers a variety of device integration capabilities.
Encoding Options and Security Features
The ZC300 supports various encoding options to enhance card functionality:
- Magnetic stripe encoder: ISO 7811 (new and pre-encoded, tracks 1, 2, and 3, high and low coercivity, stripe down and stripe up with dual-sided printers)
- Combined MIFARE ISO 14443 A and B (13.56MHz) contactless encoder with 1 SAM slot and optional support for reading iCLASS ISO 15693 and ISO 7816 cards
- ISO 7816 Smart Card Contact Station for third-party external contact encoders
- Third-party contactless encoder integration kit
Security is a priority in the ZC300 design, with features including:
- Printer and host authentication to prevent printing from unauthorized applications or devices
- AES data encryption for government-grade protection of sensitive data during printing
- Kensington® secure lock slot for physical security
- Printer cover lock to prevent theft of card stock and rejected cards in public-facing installations
Environmental Specifications and Durability
The ZC300 is designed to operate in a wide range of environments:
- Operating temperature: 59°F to 95°F (15°C to 35°C)
- Storage temperature: 23°F to 158°F (-5°C to 70°C)
- Operating humidity: 20% to 80% non-condensing
- Storage humidity: 20% to 90% non-condensing
- Media storage: 41°F to 77°F (5°C to 25°C) at 35% to 65% non-condensing humidity, not in direct sunlight
The printer comes with a three-year limited warranty on printer and printhead, reflecting Zebra’s confidence in the product’s durability and reliability.
Applications
The ZC300 is versatile enough to serve a wide range of applications across various industries:
Corporate
- Employee ID badges
- Visitor badges
- Facility access control cards
- Corporate event badges
Education
- Student and faculty ID cards
- Library cards
- Campus access cards
- Event passes
Retail and Hospitality
- Loyalty cards
- Membership cards
- Gift cards
- Hotel key cards
Healthcare
- Patient identification cards
- Staff ID badges
- Visitor management cards
- Access control credentials
Financial Services
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Prepaid cards
- Branch membership cards
Conclusion
The Zebra ZC300 (ZC31-000C000EM00) represents a significant advancement in card printing technology, combining professional-quality output with unprecedented ease of use. Its innovative features—from the auto-adjusting card feeder to the intuitive graphical interface—address common pain points in the card printing process, making it accessible to users of all technical skill levels.
With its compact design, flexible connectivity options, and comprehensive security features, the ZC300 is well-suited for a wide range of environments and applications. Whether deployed in a corporate office, educational institution, healthcare facility, or retail setting, this printer delivers reliable performance and exceptional print quality.
The ZC300’s combination of advanced technology and user-friendly design makes it an excellent choice for organizations looking to bring their card printing operations in-house or upgrade from older, more complicated systems. By eliminating the complexity traditionally associated with card printing, the ZC300 allows organizations to focus on their core operations while still maintaining control over their ID card issuance process.
