Zebra ZC350 ID Card Printer

Zebra ZC350 ID Card Printer Overview

The Zebra ZC350 card printer is a direct-to-card printer built for organisations that need fast, consistent, high-quality ID cards in volume. Available in single-sided and dual-sided configurations, it suits card programmes printing several hundred to several thousand cards a year. It is well suited to a reception desk, a back office or any space with a network connection.

Specifications

What's Included:

• Zebra ZC350 ID card printer
• UK/EU power supply and cable
• USB cable
• Output card hopper and manual feed bezel
• Quick start guide

Print quality, speed and the card designs you can produce

The ZC350 uses dye-sublimation and thermal transfer in a single pass. Dye panels on the ribbon transfer colour directly into the card surface, and a resin layer on the same ribbon lays down sharp black text and precise barcodes on top. Together they produce edge-to-edge print at 300 dpi across any standard CR80 card. Thanks to this print technology, the ZC350 printer is well suited to cards carrying small fonts, QR codes or close-cropped photographs, as all three resolve cleanly.

Card output

At 225 cards per hour single-sided, the ZC350 handles a busy card programme without becoming a bottleneck. Monochrome output reaches 1,000 cards per hour, which makes it a practical choice for any site printing large runs of access badges in black resin.

Speciality ribbons

The ZC350 is compatible with ribbons beyond standard YMCKO. A long-life overlay ribbon adds a protective layer that extends card durability to three to five years and can embed a watermark visible only under UV or when the card is tilted. A pearlescent ribbon embeds colour-shifting graphics that are difficult to replicate, and a metallic colour ribbon produces 3D-style text and logo effects. These options give cards a layer of visual security without requiring a separate laminator.

Card stock flexibility

The card feeder instantly adjusts to the thickness of each card, handling stock from 10 to 40 mil without manual intervention. That covers standard PVC cards, composite cards and adhesive or writable-back cards across both CR80 and CR79 formats.

Security: printer protection and card integrity

The ZC350 carries government-grade AES data encryption to protect sensitive data in transit between the host and the printer. Printer-host authentication blocks printing from any unauthorised application or device, which is useful wherever multiple workstations or mobile devices share a network.

Physical security

A Kensington lock slot lets you cable the printer to a desk. If the printer sits in a public-facing or shared space, an optional printer cover lock secures all media inside the unit. Card stock, ribbons and rejected cards then stay out of reach even when the area is unattended.

Encoding options

The ZC350 supports magnetic stripe encoding (ISO 7811, tracks 1, 2 and 3, high and low coercivity, stripe up or down), combined MIFARE contactless encoding (ISO 14443 A&B at 13.56 MHz) and contact smart card encoding. These are field-upgradeable modules, so a site can start with a base model and add encoding capability as requirements change. Dual-sided models include a 10-card reject bin as standard, directing misprinted or failed cards away from the output stack.

Connectivity, ease of use and ongoing supplies

Connectivity

USB 2.0 and Ethernet 10/100 are standard on every ZC350, so the printer connects directly to your network without needing a separate print server. Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) is available as an option on single-sided models for installations where cabling is impractical.

Daily use

The card feeder self-adjusts to card thickness, so operators do not need to reconfigure it when switching card stock. Ribbons load using a door-handle cartridge that only fits one way, so loading is quick with no setup required. The embedded smart chip in each ribbon tells the printer what type is installed and how many panels remain, so you are warned before the ribbon runs out rather than after a failed print run. Each ribbon cartridge also includes a cleaning roller to maintain printhead performance over time.

The graphical colour LCD, status indicator lights and NFC Print Touch tag (for accessing Zebra's online documentation) all reduce the time operators spend diagnosing problems. So, printing with the ZC350 is simple, as is maintaining it.

Warranty and Zebra OneCare

Every ZC350 carries a three-year limited warranty covering the printer and printhead. Zebra's OneCare service plans provide cover above and beyond the standard warranty, including timely repair support, and are worth considering for high-volume or business-critical sites.

Supplies

The ZC350 is designed to work exclusively with genuine Zebra ribbons, which are the only way to maintain print quality, card durability and ribbon authentication. Castlemount stocks Zebra printer ribbons compatible with the ZC350, including YMCKO (200 and 300 prints), YMCKOK for dual-sided printing, half-panel YMCKO (400 prints) and monochrome options. For card stock, blank white PVC cards and magnetic stripe PVC cards are available in the ID Cards section, and if you need printable contactless cards for access control, see MIFARE cards for options compatible with direct-to-card printers.

Who the Zebra ZC350 was Designed for

The ZC350 is the right card printer for any organisation that needs reliable, networkable, medium-to-high volume card printing with the option to encode credentials, and wants a printer that is straightforward enough for non-specialist staff to operate daily.

• HR and facilities teams: Producing staff ID cards, visitor passes and contractor badges in-house, often across multiple card designs in the same session.
• Security and access control managers: Issuing encoded magnetic stripe or contactless credentials for building access alongside a printed photo ID on the same card.
• Healthcare and education administrators: Running a card programme that requires consistent output quality, fast replacement printing and a printer that non-technical staff can use and maintain.
• Membership and loyalty card issuers: Printing personalised plastic cards with colour photography and branding at volumes that make on-demand in-house production more cost-effective than bureau outsourcing.
• Retail operations: Producing gift cards, loyalty cards or staff ID where a compact, network-connected printer needs to fit into a counter or back-office space.