Frequently asked questions
Everything about the card designer, card products, plans, printing your own cards, the member database, and payments — in one place.
Getting started
DistinctID.com is a full-service ID card and badge platform. Design custom cards and badges in your browser, manage member and employee data, and order professionally printed cards that we fulfill and ship to you — or print them on your own ID card printer. It's a service of DJL Systems, with more than 20 years in professional ID badging.
Yes. Click any template and start editing — the site opens a guest session so you can explore the card designer and most features before you register.
Start from our template gallery, then customize colors, typography, layout, photos, logos, and barcodes to match your brand. Save reusable templates for recurring print runs and new-member onboarding.
The online designer lets you lay out the front and back of a card, add your logo and member headshots, and place data-bound fields — name, role, member ID, expiration date — so every card is personalized automatically. You can also add barcodes and QR codes. See custom cards for the full workflow.
The designer supports many barcode symbologies — QR Code, Code 128, Code 39, PDF417, Data Matrix, UPC, EAN, and more. See the full list on the barcodes page.
Cards & printing
Standard PVC cards plus technology cards — magnetic stripe, NFC, and proximity (prox) cards — all printed on professional-grade stock. See current card options & pricing.
A magnetic stripe card has a magnetic band on the back that stores data you swipe through a reader. They're a proven, low-cost choice for access control, time-and-attendance, membership and loyalty programs, cafeteria or point-of-sale charging, transit, and hotel-style room keys — anywhere a quick swipe verifies identity or entitlement.
NFC (Near-Field Communication) cards have an embedded chip and antenna that communicate wirelessly with a reader or smartphone when you tap the card — no swipe or contact needed. They are used for contactless access control, secure ID and tap-to-verify checkpoints, event check-in, membership perks, and linking a physical card to digital content or a member profile.
Often, yes. Alongside magnetic stripe and NFC, we can supply proximity (prox) and other specialty technology cards when the stock is available. Tell us what your access or ID system uses and we'll source it — please call or contact us to check current availability.
We print exclusively on Fargo HDP retransfer (reverse-transfer) printers. The image is printed onto a clear film and then fused to the card, so it runs edge-to-edge and is sealed under a durable, tamper-resistant layer — a higher-quality, more secure finish than direct-to-card printing. Shipping is free on every custom card order with no minimums or setup fees, and most orders placed before 2pm ET ship the same day.
Plans & pricing
Two service levels — Professional Service (free) and DIY Printing. Compare them on the plans page, and see per-card costs under card options & pricing.
Yes — Professional Service is free. Create and manage unlimited employee badges and membership cards, upload logos and headshots, use the member database and batch workflows, send proof sheets for approval, and invite administrators. You only pay for the printed cards you order.
Yes, at no extra cost. Professional Service (free) includes multi-account management: create, delegate, and monitor separate division, chapter, or agency accounts under one umbrella, enforce consistency and governance across child accounts, and track departmental spending. Set it up from your top-level account — see the plans page.
Print your own cards
Yes. With the DIY Printing plan you can produce high-resolution, print-ready versions of your cards and print them on demand directly to your own ID card printer — design and manage everything in DistinctID, then output finished cards in-house. Many customers also keep DistinctID as a backup for overflow or when their own printer is down. See the plans page.
You'll need a direct-to-card or retransfer ID card printer and blank card stock. DistinctID handles the design, member data, and print-ready output; your printer produces the physical cards. Not sure what fits your needs? Contact us and we can help you choose.
Member database & data
Yes. Create flexible data files for each group or department with the fields you need — name, member number, role, expiration date, and your own custom fields. Keep separate files by program while all records live under one account. See member database management.
Yes. Import a CSV or spreadsheet from your HR or member system and append to it as your roster changes. To produce cards in bulk, select the rows you want, choose Create Cards, and map your data fields to the template fields — including headshots via a CSV of image links. Export your data anytime for reporting or downstream systems. See the batch card workflow.
Yes. Upload your organization's logos once and reuse them across templates, and upload member headshots (optionally named per member). Supported image types include JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, WEBP, and HEIC/HEIF.
Payments & terms
Most orders are paid by card through secure Stripe checkout — we accept all major credit and debit cards.
Yes. Approved organizations can order on Net 30 payment terms once their account is set up with terms and available credit. To apply, download and complete our Terms Application (PDF) and send it back to us, or contact us to get started.
Our full terms are on the Terms & Conditions page.
Still have a question?
Tell us what you need — card technology, bulk printing, terms, or anything else — and our team will help you find the right fit.