April 2019 | Version 2.0.

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© 2018 ZIH Corp. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. ZEBRA and the stylized Zebra head are trademarks of ZIH Corp.,
registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

COPYRIGHTS & TRADEMARKS: For complete copyright and trademark information, go to www.zebra.com/copyright
WARRANTY: For complete warranty information, go to www.zebra.com/warranty
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT: For complete EULA information, go to www.zebra.com/eula

This document contains information proprietary to Zebra Technologies Corporation. This document and the information
contained within is Copyrighted by Zebra Technologies Corporation and may not be duplicated in full or in part by any
person without written approval from Zebra Technologies Corporation. While every effort has been made to keep the
information contained within current and accurate as of the date of publication, no guarantee is given that the document is
error-free or that it is accurate with regard to any specification. Zebra Technologies Corporation reserves the right to make
changes, for product improvement, at any time.

Proprietary Statement This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries
ed solely for the information and use of parties operating and maintaining the equipment
described herein. Such proprietary information may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed to any other parties for any other
purpose without the express, written permission of Zebra Technologies.

Product Improvements Continuous improvement of products is a policy of Zebra Technologies. All specifications and
designs are subject to change without notice.

Liability Disclaimer Zebra Technologies takes steps to ensure that its published Engineering specifications and manuals are
correct; however, errors do occur. Zebra Technologies reserves the right to correct any such errors and disclaims liability
resulting therefrom.

Limitation of Liability In no event shall Zebra Technologies or anyone else involved in the creation, production, or delivery of
the accompanying product (including hardware and software) be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without
limitation, consequential damages including loss of business profits, business interruption, or loss of business information)
arising out of the use of, the results of use of, or inability to use such product, even if Zebra Technologies has been advised
of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential
damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.

2
 10
Specifications 10
Minimum Hardware specifications 10
Software 10
Supported Printers 11

Download and Install 13

13

14

Registration of the Software Edition 18

Registration of the Software 18
Online Registration 18
Successful Registration 18
io 19
DesignStudio Interface 19
DesignStudio Navigation 21
Main Menu 21
File 21
Store 22
Edit 22
View 22
Options 22
Help 23
Quick Menu 24

DesignStudio Start a Card Design 27

New Card Design 27

Open existing Card Design 28

DesignStudio Card Design from the Store 29

Browse the Store 29

My items 30

DesignStudio Card Design Menu 32

Preview 32

Card settings 32

Dynamic Fields 33

3
DesignStudio Elements 35
Element Properties 40
Text element properties 40
Image element properties 40
Passport Photo element properties 41
Signature element properties 41
Barcode element properties 42
Dynamic logo element properties 42
Element Position 43
Resize and rotate elements on the canvas 43
Element Style 44
Border & Background 44
Color & Transparency 44
DesignStudio Print a Card Design 46
47
PrintStudio Interface 48
PrintStudio Navigation 49
Main menu 49
File 49
Edit 49
Record 49
Options 50
Views 50
Help 50
Quick menu 51
A. New 51
B. Open existing Project 51
C. Undo 51
D. Redo 51
E. Add a new record 51
F. Delete a selected record 51
G. Filter records 52
K. Refresh Data 52
L. Print all selected records 53
PrintStudio Create a Project 55
New Project 55

Create a New Project 56

1. Project structure 56
2. Biometric settings 57
3. View configuration 58
4. Card designs 59
5. Triggers 60
6. Create project 61
4
 Create a New CardStudio Project with database connection 62
1. Data sources 62
2. Image sources 63
3. View configuration 64
4. Card designs 65
5. Triggers 66
6. Create project 67
Create copy of an existing Project 68
1. Select project 68
2. Copy project 69
Import Project from Excel 70
1. Data source 70
2. Project structure 71
3. Biometric settings 72
4. View configuration 73
5. Card designs 74
6. Triggers 75
7. Import Project 76
New Project from BadgeMaker 7 Project 77
1. Select BadgeMaker 7 Project 77
2. Project structure 78
3. Biometric settings 79
4. View configuration 80
5. Triggers 81
6. Import Project 82
New Project from IDPro 7 Project 83
1. Select IDPro 7 Project 83
2. Project structure 84
3. Biometric settings 85
4. View configuration 86
5. Triggers 87
6. Import Project 88
PrintStudio Open Project 90
PrintStudio Import Data 92
Import an Excel file or CSV data file 93
1. Data source 93
2. Configuration 94
3. Import data 95
Import BadgeMaker 7 project data 96
1. Data source 96
2. Configuration 97
3. Import data 98

5
 Import IDPro 7 data 99
1. Data source 99
2. Configuration 100
3. Import data 101
PrintStudio Import Photos 102
PrintStudio Export Data 104
PrintStudio Export Photos 105
PrintStudio Project Settings 107
Detail View 107

Gallery view 108

Biometric settings 109

Card Designs 110

Card designs assignment 111

Project structure 112

Triggers 113

Manage Project 114

PrintStudio Link Card Design to record 116

PrintStudio Records 118
Add Records 118
1. Add a new record 118
2. Photo 119
3. Signature 120
Print records 121

PrintStudio Database Connection 123

Setting up a PrintStudio Database connection 124
How to set up a PrintStudio Project with Database connection 124
Connect with database 125
Changes when working with PrintStudio with external database connection 128

PrintStudio Encode 130

Contactless Encoding 130

SmartCard Editor 130

Creating a MIFARE Classic Template using the CCI Editor 130
Information about Sector Data 132
Creating a MIFARE DESfire template using the CCI Editor 133
Encoding with PrintStudio 135
Supported standards 136

6
 User Guide
Introduction

7
 -feature card design and printing software application with complete capabilities for card design, data
management and card production. CardStudio is provided in four editions: Classic, Standard, Enterprise and Professional.
All four editions integrate the required features for ID card design and production.
Classic:
CardStudio 2.0 Classic edition allows you to design and print professional photo IDs and other type of card designs with
a new easy-to-use interface with design and print features.
Standard:
CardStudio 2.0 Standard edition allows you to create, manage and print high grade card designs with a new easy-to-
use interface with design, data management and print features. Including internal database, Excel and .csv file
integration for ID records, 2D bar codes and advanced print functionality.
Enterprise:
Designed for enterprise applications, the CardStudio 2.0 Enterprise edition allows you to create and print professional
photo IDs and other type of card designs with a new easy-to-use interface with design, data management and print
features. Including internal database, Excel and .csv file integration for ID records, 2D bar codes and advanced print
functionality. Enterprise edition includes advanced features to connect to multiple databases, ODBC data sources and
multiple projects, for advanced card design, issuance and data management capabilities.
Professional:
Created for advanced enterprise applications that require smart card encoding support, CardStudio 2.0 Professional
edition allows you to create, print and encode professional card designs with a new easy-to-use interface and design
and print features. Including internal database, Excel and .csv file integration for ID records, 2D bar codes and advanced
print functionality. Professional also offers the advanced features to connect to multiple databases and ODBC data
sources, and multitple projects for advanced card design, issuance and data management capabilities.

CardStudio is desktop-based card production software developed to design card layouts, manage, add or import card
data, capture photo's and signatures as well as one-click printing, making the card production process quick and easy.

CardStudio 0 is a combination of two specific modules that each have their own area of expertise. DesignStudio focuses
on creating perfect card layouts and PrintStudio can handle your data with the ease of well-known spreadsheet software.

DesignStudio gives you the all the needed tools to create a front and back design with images, , shapes and dynamic
data. You will be able to create a template with placeholders that help determine the layout of dynamic data.
For example: where a passport photo should be placed, a signature or the first and last name of a person.

As a user, you can manage data and layouts for different types of ID cards using different types of printers. PrintStudio gives
you the basic tools to import, add and manage data like card holder information, passport photos and signatures. This data
can then be connected to a card design or multiple card layouts and selected for printing. CardStudio imports and prints
large amounts of data and cards and makes your card production process faster and more efficient.

Any Windows PC with a network connection can be used to install CardStudio . This PC needs to have an internet
connection to download the installation file, register the software and keep the software up to date with automatic updates.

This manual does not describe the installation of printers or other peripherals like a camera or signature pad.
Please refer to the manuals for further information on these devices. Before working with the software, first install the
Zebra Windows printer driver so the Zebra Printer is ready to print cards.

8
General Information

9
It is essential, when you or your organization choose CardStudio for your card design, data management and card
production, to make sure to have the correct hardware to install the software on. We strongly advise a Windows PC for
installation, that creates an optimal work environment for the software and supports the correct peripheral
devices like card printers.

Specifications

Minimum Hardware specifications Software

Processor Intel Pentium Dual core Supported Operating Systems:

G640 2,8 Ghz or equal Windows 7 (32 bit & 64 bit)
Memory 2GB Windows 8.1 (32 bit & 64 bit)
Free Disk space 4GB Windows 10 (32 bit & 64 bit)
Graphics 1024 x 768
Monitor/Mouse/keyboard .NET Framework version:
3 available USB ports 4.7.0
(printer/webcam/signature pad)

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Supported Printers

Updates for support of new printers are added regularly by means of automatic software updates.

Single Double Batch True Print job Contactless MAGstripe

Manufacturer Type Remark
sided sided Printing Black Preferences Encoding Encoding

ZXP Series
Zebra 1
 -    - 

ZXP Series
Zebra 3
      

ZXP Series
Zebra 7
      

ZXP Series
Zebra 8
      

ZXP Series
Zebra 9
      

Zebra ZCL10      - -

Zebra ZC100  -    - -

ZC300/
Zebra 350
      

11
Installation

12
Download the

Download the latest version of the at:

https://cardstudio.zebra.com

USB Card-Drive

The link will download the installer file that will look like this:

Double-click the icon to open a pop-up verifying you are sure you would like to run the installer. Click 'Run' to start the
installation wizard.

13
A. If you would like to run the installer and setup CardStudio Run
to install CardStudio Cancel

B. Next CardStudio .

14
C.1 Features tab: The third step in the installation process is to select how you would like to install CardStudio. You can
select the features you would like to install. DesignStudio, PrintStudio, Demo projects and the SmartCard Editor are selected
by default. If you would like to only install PrintStudio or DesignStudio, just un-check the boxes of the features you do not
want to install.

C.2 Installation Folder tab: The second tab of the third step is to select the location where you would like to install
CardStudio . You can select this by clicking on the browse button and browse to the desired location. If you do not have
a specific location for CardStudio leave the default location.

15
D. The installer is now ready to begin the CardStudio installation. Install
Back Cancel .

E. The installation is now in process. This may take a couple of minutes.

A pop-up window will appear to make sure that you want to run the installation. Yes

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F. Finish exit the installer.

G. After completing the installation, 3 shortcuts will appear on your desktop.

For CardStudio , only DesignStudio and PrintStudio are needed. When installing CardStudio Classic only one desktop
icon will appear, only DesignStudio is needed. If you have CardStudio Standard or above, you will have 2 or 3 desktop Icons.

If you would like to start creating a new card layout, double- DesignStudio

If you would like to start a project and add card data, double-c PrintStudio

If you would like to start the SmartCard Editor to create an encoding file, double- SmartCard Editor

Before you start .

17
Registration of the Software Edition

When DesignStudio or PrintStudio starts for the first time, a registration window will pop-up, this is where the license key can
be entered, and the CardStudio Software activated.

Registration of the Software

The first question will be about online or offline registration.

Select online registration .

The license keys are for online registration. No access to the

internet to activate your license keys?
Contact your local reseller for more information on offline
license keys.

Example of the CardStudio registration window.

Online Registration

You will be requested to enter a license key. The license key

will be provided by our License Manager. The license key
must be entered (copy-paste), when the key is valid, the
software will start. The next time the software will not require
the license key to be entered.

Test keys can have a time restriction and may expire on a

given date. (View the License Manager User Guide for more
information on license keys).

A. Use Proxy
needed to connect through a Proxy server in your network.
A

Example of the CardStudio online registration license key

window with License Key entered.

Successful Registration

When you copy-paste the correct key you will see that the
registration is successful. In this case it is a demo key that
shows the evaluation time. Ok button to start
working with CardStudio.

Example of a successful online registration of a CardStudio

demo key.

18
19
 A B
C

D
H

A. Main menu
B. Window menu
C. Quick menu
D. Toolbar
E. Workspace/Canvas Front
F. Workspace/Canvas Back
G. Card Design:
Preview / Card Settings / Dynamic Data Fields
H. Element Properties

20
DesignStudio makes the card design process as easy, fast and intuitive as possible. Accommodating the users in your
organization, set with the task of designing the ID-cards. Using a user-friendly overview that shows all the tools needed and
is easy to navigate.

Window navigation
The window navigation gives the option to A. minimize, B. maximize or C. close.

A B C

Main Menu
File Store , Edit View , Options Help

The main menu offers 4 sub-menus.

File
The first button offers the main functions needed to start, use, save and end CardStudio Design:

- New Card design:

Create a blank new layout for your ID card or use CTRL+N
- Open Card design:
Open an existing card design to adjust or use CTRL+O

- Import BadgeCreator design:

Import designs created in BadgeCreator.
- Import CardStudio 1.0 design:
Import designs created in CardStudio 1.0.
- Import IDPro7 design:
Import old designs created in IDPro7.

- Save Card design: To save a Card Design click here or use CTRL+S.
- Save Card design as: To save a Card Design using another name click here or use CTRL+Shift+S. It is also a simple
way to create a duplicate of your design.
- Export Card design: Card designs can be exported from Design Studio as a zip file, ready to send or upload.
- Print card: The Classic Edition allows you to print your design from DesignStudio. Click to select a printer, set
preferences and print.
- Print card with: When a default printer is setup, you can skip the printer preferences and print directly with the
default printer. Click here, use the printer button in the quick menu or use CTRL+P.
- Exit: This button will let you exit DesignStudio.

21
Store
The second button offers the DesignStudio Store, you can find different types of example card designs ready to place in
My items . Use the example card designs to get inspired or adjust for own use.

- Browse store: Open the store with a selection of card designs for you to choose from.
- My items: Overview of your selected card designs from the store, ready to download and use.

Edit
The third button will offer all the edit functions that you use during the design process:
- Undo: Undo previous design steps. You can use the short cut CTRL+Z.
- Redo: Redo design steps you undid CTRL+Y.
- Cut: To relocate an object (image, text, placeholder) on the canvas use the cut
button. You can use the short cut CTRL+X.
- Copy: To copy an object (image, text, placeholder) on the canvas use the copy
button. You can use the short cut CTRL+C.
- Paste: To paste a copied or cut object (image, text, placeholder) on the canvas use
the cut button. You can use the short cut CTRL+V.
- Bring To Front: To bring an element to the front of the design.
- Bring Forward: To bring an element one step forward in the design.
- Send Backward: To send an element one step backward in the design.
- Send To Back: To send an element to the back of the design.

View
The fourth button controls the CardStudio dashboard view, make specific views visible or invisible:
- Card Design: See the design preview, card settings and the dynamic fields.
- Element Properties: Adjust the different type of elements by clicking on an element
and use the Element Properties to make changes.

Options
The fifth button controls the CardStudio dashboard view, make specific views visible or invisible:
- Settings: Change Design Studio settings like enabling the grid,
changing the language or the path to save card designs to.
- Improvement Program: Help optimize the quality of DesignStudio, by
participating anonymously in the DesignStudio Improvement Program.

22
Help
The Help button offers information about DesignStudio and an online user guide:
- View Help: Opens the online user guide or use the shortcut F1.
- View changelog: Shows the changes and updates made in the
software.
- License Information: Shows the specific license information, the
edition, the reference, versions and activation date.
- About DesignStudio: Pop-up with version and developer information.

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Quick Menu
The Quick Menu offers a selection of large visual buttons often used in the card design process, allowing for quick and easy
navigation.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 D 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1
A. Create new Card design
Starts a new Card design.

B. Open existing Card design

Open an existing Card design.

C. Save
It is important to save your layout while designing. Quickly saves the card design.

D. Save as
Saves your design under another name.

E. Undo
Undo design steps you made.

F. Redo
Redo design steps you made.

G. Cut
To place an element somewhere else, use this button to cut and replace the image. Just select the element you want to
replace, click on the cut button and then click on the paste button to place it somewhere else.

H. Copy
To copy elements, select the element, then click on the copy button. The element is ready to be pasted anywhere on the
front or back of the design canvas.

I. Paste
If you cut or copy an element, click on the paste button to place the element on the front or the back of the canvas.

J. Show/hide grid
Make a grid visible or invisible. A grid can help you be more
precise with your design. Having the grid to align elements.
When the grid option is selected it will auto-snap elements in
place whilst using your mouse. Once placed, the arrow keys
allow free movement of elements.

K. Settings
Settings gives a couple of options:

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- Check or uncheck the enable grid checkbox to enable or disable the grid.
- Determine the scale of the grid.
- Set the language used in the designer. Languages supported: English, French, Spanish, German, Polish and Dutch.
Other languages will be supported soon.
- Determine your own project path, where you would like to open and save your designs.
- To confirm settings, OK , to cancel settings, Cancel .
- To exit settings, X.

L. Show front and back designers

View the canvas for the front and back side of the layout.

M. Show front designer only

View the canvas for the front side of the layout.

N. Show back designer only

View the canvas for back side of the layout.

O. Design layer
This is the base layer to work in to design your (YMCK or monochrome) card layout.

P. Specialty panel
This is a specialty panel to work in if you want your specialty panel (like an pearl panel) to a have a certain design or pattern.
(Be aware that a specific printer and ribbon are needed to add specific layers with a design or pattern.)

Q. Scale slider
Use this slider to zoom the canvas view in or out.

R. Print Card Design

This Quick menu button is only available in the CardStudio CLASSIC edition and allows you to add one record of data and
print your card design from Design Studio. You can only use Zebra printers to print you card designs.

S. PrintStudio
This Quick button lets you open PrintStudio and continue with your card production process.

25
DesignStudio
Start a Card Design

26
To start and work on a card design, start a new design or open an existing design.
A
New Card Design
A. File New Card design
Or click on the icon below in the quick menu:

When clicking on the new card design link or button a setup window will pop-up.

A
B C

Fig. Example of new card design setup window.

A. Enter the name for the layout. The exclamation mark at the end appears when the field is not filled, or the name
OK
B. The size of the card can be chosen from a drop down.
C. Define a custom size for your layout.
D. Check this box if the design is single sided.
E. Check this box if the design is for a card with MAGstripe.
F. Check the ribbon type (color or mono), the orientation of the design for the front and the type of layers.
G. Check the ribbon type (color or mono), the orientation of the design for the front and the type of layers.

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Open existing Card Design

B. To open an existing Card Design go File

Open Card design

Or click on the icon below in the quick menu: B

When clicking on the new card design link or button, a selection window will pop-up.
All available existing designs are displayed, select a layout for editing.
You can open multiple layouts at the same time.

E C D

Example of the Open Card design pop-up window.

A. Select one of the existing designs.

B. View the layout of the design selected.
C. Open the selected design.
D. Cancel opening a design.
E. Delete a selected design.

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Browse the Store to select and download one of the example card design to start with. Get inspired and adjust the example
designs to your own liking.

Browse the Store

To browse the store, go Store Browse store

A
B C

A. Store: Overview of all the card design bundles available to select and available My items
B. Filter the overview of card designs by specific tags. Use the drop-down button to select a tag.
C. Search card design bundles by name.
D. Click on the bundle image to learn more about the bundle and its card designs.

E. Add to My items to add the collection of card design and make them available for download.

29
My items
All the selected card designs added from the Store My items card designs will always be
available for you as specific customer ready for download.

A. My items: overview of all the selected card designs from the Store ready to select and download.
B. Preview images of the selected card design.
C. Click Download to download the selected card design to your Design Studio.
Give the downloaded card design a name.

After saving the design is opened automatically in DesignStudio. The card design is now ready be used in your
CardStudio 2.0.
D. Close -up.

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DesignStudio
Card Design View

Preview, Card Settings and Dynamic Field

31
The Card Design window presents three tabs: Preview, Card Settings and Dynamic Fields.

Preview
The Preview tab shows a preview of the card; the preview allows you to toggle from front to back by clicking the image.

Example of the Preview tab in the Card Design view.

Card settings
The Card Settings tab offers information on the card design settings. Change or edit the settings of the card design. The
elements already placed will not be affected, when for example changing a layout from landscape to portrait.

Example of the Card Settings tab in the Card Design Menu.

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Dynamic Fields
With the start of a new card design it is important to create the needed dynamic fields for a card design. Dynamic data
represents data that need to be on a card design for different card holders. For example: First name, Last name or
Department. When dynamic data is linked to project data, the dynamic data placeholder will be replaced with the card holder
data.

The tab Dynamic fields in the card design view will

give a list of the dynamic fields in the layout. When a
text element is added to the card design, and the text
in the text element has a name {between curly braces},
DesignStudio will detect this as a dynamic field name
and will be added to the list of Dynamic fields.

The user can delete, change and edit the field names
and enter default values to be used as preview.

Fig. Example of the Dynamic Fields settings tab in the Card design menu.

B C D
F

A. + button.
B. Dynamic Field 1 first_name
C. department
Sales
D. A dynamic field can have a certain format, the dropdown menu offers a couple of options. For example, the value of
CAPITALIZED
E. It is possible to give dynamic fields a fixed lenght, input alignment and a fill character. This helps when the dynamic
data has to be a specific fixed lenght, for example ID numbers or for specific Magstripe input. Click on the arrow
before the dynamic field to open the extra options. The fixed lenght gives the option to set the number of characters,
input alignment allows you to set the input from left or right and fill character lets you fill the empty space with a
specific character.
F. x

33
34
Element Tool Menu

To create and edit a design you need to work with the toolbar setup on the left side.
The tool bar offers the following functions:

A
1
1B
1
1
C
1
1D
1
1
E
1
1F
1
1G
1
1H
1
1
F
1
1G
1
1H
1
1 A. Select/move tool
The arrow tool is used to select an element. This tool also allows you to move an element in the layout.
When an element is selected a move icon appears on the mouse over and can be used to move or
resize an element.

35
B. Zoom tool
The zoom function is enabled and will zoom in on the layout.
At a click of the mouse the zoom is increased one step, when using CTRL and a click of the mouse the zoom
is decreased by one step.

C. Image tool
The image tool is used to place an image element in the layout.

D. Text tool
The text tool can be used to add static and dynamic text to the design. Use the Text Element properties to
edit and add text and/or dynamic text to the box. Select the element and go to Element properties to edit the
text in the text editor.

36
E. Passport photo tool
The Photo element is used to place a placeholder for the passport photo on the layout. The photo element
can scale within proportions. When the design is linked to data in for example a PrintStudio project, the
placeholder will be replaced by a real passport photo from the project data.

F. Signature tool
The Signature element is used to place a placeholder for the signature on the layout. The signature element
can scale within proportions. When the design is used and connected to data in for example a PrintStudio
project, the placeholder will be replaced by a real signature from the project data.

37
G. Barcode tool
The Barcode element is used to place a placeholder for a barcode on the layout. The element can scale
within proportions. Different types of barcodes are available to select in the element properties. Barcodes
that are scaled too small might not work. Test barcodes in your design with the data before continuing.

H. 2D Barcode tool
The 2D Barcode element is used to place a placeholder for a 2D barcode on the layout. The element can
scale within proportions. When the design is linked to data in a PrintStudio project, the placeholder will be
replaced by a real 2D barcode. There are different types of 2D barcodes available to select in the element
properties.

38
I. Square tool
The rectangular element can be used for frames and boxes in the layout. Line option: To draw a line with the
square tool, select the square element and go to the element properties. Enter the desired height and width
of the line. Switch to the Style tab, set border thickness to 0 and add the background color of your choice.

J. Circle tool
The circle element is used for elements like circles and ellipsoids.

K. Dynamic logo tool

The Dynamic logo element is used to place a placeholder for a dynamic logo on the layout. The element can
scale within proportions. When the design is linked to data in a PrintStudio project the placeholder will be
replaced by one of the dynamic logos.

For more explanation on the dynamic logo read Dynamic logo element properties.

39
Element Properties

The element properties window has three tabs:

Element edit, Element position and Element style tab.

Depending on the type of element, this tab will allow the user to view and/or edit the information of the element. When the
values are changed, they are reflected immediately in the design; there is no need to hit an enter button. The user can make
changes in one window and observe the result in the other window at the same time and vice versa. It depends on the
preference of the user to create the layout in a graphical environment or a data element environment.

J
Text element properties
1
A A. Change Font
B B. Change Size
C D E F C. Edit style into bold, italic and underlined.
A D. Outline the text left, center or right
G
E. Align the text to top, center or bottom of the box.
F. Wrap text automatically, let text be cut of when being too
H
long or set the text to automatically fit the text box.
G. Change text color by clicking the Text color box
I H. Choose to add a dynamic field to the text box below by
1
selecting one from the drop-down menu and clicking on
Add
Example of the Text element properties
I. Enter all your text here.
J. Click the lock icon to lock an element. A locked element
cannot move or be selected during the design process.

: element is not locked.

: element is locked.

Image element properties

E
A. Select an image from your computer by clicking on the
Select Image
B. Choose to bind the ratio
C. As a specialty feature you are able to use the
Interpolation mode to control image quality during
A scaling. There are 4 interpolation modes you can choose
from:
Default
B Bicubic
Bilinear
C NearestNeighbor
D Default
experience with the interpolation modes.
Example of the Image element propertes
D. Use the slider or enter a percentage to change the
transparency of the image.
E. Click the lock icon to lock an element, so it cannot move
during the design of the card.

: element is not locked.

: element is locked.

40
 Passport Photo element properties
D
A. Check box to bind the element to a certain ratio or adjust
A the ratio.
B B. As a specialty feature you are able to use the
C Interpolation mode to control image quality during
scaling. There are 4 interpolation modes you can choose
Example of the Passport Photo element properties from:
Default
Bicubic
Bilinear
NearestNeighbor
Default
experience with the interpolation modes.
C. Use the slider or enter a percentage to change the
transparency of the image.
D. Click the lock icon to lock an element, so it cannot move
during the design of the card.

: element is not locked.

: element is locked.

B Signature element properties

A. Check box to bind the element to a certain ratio or adjust
A the ratio.
B B. As a specialty feature you are able to use the
Interpolation mode to control image quality during
C scaling. There are 4 interpolation modes you can choose
Example of the Signature element properties from:
Default
Bicubic
Bilinear
NearestNeighbor
Default
experience with the interpolation modes.
C. Use the slider or enter a percentage to change the
transparency of the image.
D. Click the lock icon to lock an element, so it cannot move
during the design of the card.

: element is not locked.

: element is locked.

41
 G Barcode element properties
A. Check this box to bind the element to a certain ratio
A B. Choose a barcode type by clicking on the drop-down
menu and select the barcode type.
B C C. Select a form of error checking from this list to ensure a
D correct working barcode.
D. Check this box to fit the barcode to the complete width.
E
E. If you want the barcode to show a label with the actual
F data, check the show label check box.
F. Select the dynamic field that you want the barcode to
Add
the value. Barcodes cannot represent all data, make sure
Example of the barcode element properties.
the data can be translated to the selected barcode type.
G. Enter a default value or combine it with a dynamic field.
H. Click the lock icon to lock an element, so it cannot move
during the design of the card.

: element is not locked.

: element is locked.

Dynamic logo element properties

A. Select the dynamic field that needs to reflect the dynamic
J logo.
A B. Select if you want the logo to be the correct ratio or if you
want it to fill the whole field.
B
C. As a specialty feature you are able to use the
1
C Interpolation mode to control image quality during
scaling. There are 4 interpolation modes you can choose
D
from:
Default
E F Bicubic
Bilinear
H NearestNeighbor
G
Default
experience with the interpolation modes.
D. Use the slider or enter a percentage to change the
transparency of the image.
E. Click on this button to add another dynamic logo.
I
F. When you want to delete a dynamic logo select the logo
Remove
dynamic logo
G. Select an image for your dynamic logo by clicking on this
button.
H. Check the default box if you want this image to show up as
the default dynamic logo image.
I. Add the associated value of your dynamic logo into this
field.
Example of the dynamic logo element properties.
J. : element is not locked.

: element is locked.

42
Element Position
To change the position of an element, use the arrow tool or select the element and click on to the second tab Position in
the Element properties. Here the position, dimension and margin of an element can be adjusted, rotated or arranged to the
back or front.

A. Determine the position of the used element.

G B. Scale your element giving a width or a height. Check the
check-box to constrain proportions.
A B C. Rotate the element by entering an angle number, 0 to 360.
C
D. Give elements margin space, enter space for the left side,
top, right and bottom of the element.
E. To arrange an element one step forward or backward
against the other elements, click on these buttons.
D
F. To bring an element completely on top or to the
background, click on these buttons.
E F G. Click the lock icon to lock an element, so it cannot move
during the design of the card.
Example of the position of an element.
: element is not locked.

: element is locked.

Resize and rotate elements on the canvas

The canvas represents the front and/or back of the card layouts and can be used to place, edit and/or move elements. When
an element is selected the size of the element can be changed using the arrows/squares at the corners of the elements. The
element can also be rotated using the circles at the corner of the elements.

Increase/decrease the width or height of an element. The

arrow appears when the mouse is hovered over/near the
edge of the element.

The height and width of the element can be changed at

the same time. The arrow appears when the mouse is
hovered over/near one of the corners of the element.

Example of an image element placed on the front of a card.

The orientation of the element can be rotated when the

arrow appears. The arrow appears when the mouse is
hovered just outside one of the corners of the element.

Example of a rotated shape element placed on the back of a card.

43
Element Style

Border & Background

To change the style of an element Style of the Element Properties view.

A. Add a border, change the thickness of the of the

border, its color or style.
B. Add a background color.
A

Example of the style tab

Color & Transparency

Choose a color for the border or the background using the
B
color pop-up window. There is a selection of color options
A to choose from. Use the RGB, Hex or HSV code to select a
specific color. You can use:

C A. The color picker.

D B. Use the RGB sliders or type in the percentage.

C. Fill in the Hex code for the color.
D. HSV sliders or type in the percentage.
F E. Add Transparency or type in the percentage.
E
F. Use a color library for specific colors. Select an empty
G slot in the library and set your color using the options
Example of the Color pop-up menu A - E.
G. Ok have selected the correct
color and transparency of the border or background.

44
DesignStudio
Print Card Design

45
With the CardStudio Classic Edition it is possible to design and print your card design from DesignStudio using the Zebra
Card Printers. After the design process click on the Print

When a printer is not setup, a printer setup window appears the first time:

A. Select the Zebra Card Printer you would like to print your card design with.

B. Set your printer preferences, make sure the correct default settings of the
A printer driver have already been set.

C. Print button to proceed. To change the printer settings for

B the quick menu print button, go to the File Print card link.

Before printing the card design it is possible to personalize the Card Design with card data. For Example, capturing a
passport photo. If the card design does not have personlized data, proceed to the print button.

A. Passport photo: Capture or add a photo to the card design.

B. Signature: Capture or add a signature to the card design.

C. Enter data for the dynamic fields in your card design. It is

only possible to enter data for 1 card holder, if personalized.

D. Enter number of copies to print.

C

E. Click on the Print button to print your card design.

A

D
B
E

46
47
The dashboard of PrintStudio offers the following sections:

A B
C

D
G

F H

Example of the PrintStudio dashboard overview

A. Main menu
B. Window menu
C. Quick menu
D. Grid view
E. Detail view
F. Photo slider view
G. Layout gallery and layout preview
H. Add and Preview Photo and/or Signature

48
PrintStudio makes the elaborate card design process as easy, fast and intuitive as possible. Accommodating the users in
your organization that are set with the task of managing data and printing cards. Using a user-friendly overview that shows all
the tools and is easy to navigate.

Window navigation
The window navigation gives the option to A. minimize, B. maximize or C. close.

A B C

Main menu
The main menu offers the options: File, Edit, Record, Options, View and Help

The Main Menu has 6 submenus:

File
The File menu offers the main functions needed to start, use, manage and
exit a PrintStudio Project:

- New project: Start a new project in PrintStudio.

- Open project: Open an existing project made in PrintStudio.
- Close project: Close the Print Studio project.
- Import data: Import data from an Excel file, BadgeMaker 7 or IDPro7 project.
- Import photos: Batch import photos or signatures.
- Export project data: Export the record data to an CSV file.
- Print selected records: Print the records selected in the Grid view.
- Print selected records with...: Print quickly with an already set printer.
- Exit: Exit PrintStudio

Edit
The Edit menu offers the edit functions and project settings that you use
during the data managing process:
- Undo: Undo recent actions made in your project.
- Redo: Redo actions you undid in your project.
- Project Settings: Change project settings and link card designs to your
project.

Record
The Record menu give you control over the records being able to add new
records or delete existing records.
- Add new record: Add new card holder data, photo and or signature.
- Delete selected record

49
Options
The Options menu brings you to the configurations of the application like
date and language settings.

- Configuration
- Improvement Program

Views
The Views menu makes it possible to make certain views in the main window
visible or invisible.

- Grid View
- Detail View
- Photo Slider View
- Print Status Window

Help
For more information on the application or a user guide click on the Help
button.

- View manual
- View changelog
- ScreenCheck on the web
- License information
- About

50
Quick menu
When opening PrintStudio two Quick buttons appear in the middle of the interface. The buttons give two options, continue
working with an existing project or creating a new project.

The Quick menu offers a selection of large visual button often used in the card production process making navigation quick
and easy.

A B C D E F G H I J
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Quick menu view with large visual buttons

A. New
Click to start a new Project.

B. Open existing Project

Click to open an existing project.

C. Undo
Undo actions done working in the project.

D. Redo
Redo an action that was undone working in the project.

E. Add a new record

Records are single data rows that contain all the information of one person. Click to add a new record to the project.
This means putting in new information for a new card holder, adding a photo and if needed adding a signature.

F. Delete a selected record

Records are single data rows that contain all the information of one person. Click to delete the selected record(s) from
the project.

51
G. Filter records
Have a lot of data in your data grid? This button will be helpful giving you all kinds of different filter options to search for
specific groups or a certain person. You can add multiple filter sets. Every filter set can have one or more filter rules. You
can combine one or more filter sets to make your search more specific.

1 3
1 1
2 4
1 1
1 1
1 1
5
1
1

6 8 7
1 1 1
1 1
Example of the filter options window that pop-up after clicking the filter1 button in the Quick menu.

1. To setup a filter rule starts with selecting one of the fields that you want to search in. This will narrow a search
and make it faster.

2. After selecting the field, you need to select how specific you want to match the field with the criteria in field 3. If
the value is very specific c is o specific you can choose Starts with .

3. Enter the information you are looking for depending on a specific search or a group search. For example, you
could enter a complete index number to find a certain person or just the start of a number.

4. X

5. Click on this button to add a new filter rule to this filter set to narrow your search.
6. Click on this button when you want to add a new filter set. Example: You use a filter set when searching for two
different type of records and need to add a separate search.

7. Cancel filter option.

8.

K. Refresh Data
This button allows you to refresh data when working with CardStudio Connect projects making sure all data is up to date
with the connected data bases.

52
L. Print all selected records
Print all selected records

1. To print one or more records, select them and click the print button
to print the records, using the most recent printer setup. On first-time
use, the printer dialogue will be displayed.

A print window pops up, so you can select the printer you installed
for the card printing process. This manual does not describe the
installation of printers. Please refer to the manufacturers manuals for
further information on these devices. After selecting the printer, click
Print

Example printer setup window.

2. A print progress window will pop-up that will show

you the progress of the cards that are being printed.

Example of the Card printing progress window.

L. CardStudio Design
This quick menu button lets you open CardStudio Design and continue with creating or adjusting your card design.

53
54
To setup a PrintStudio project, start with the setup of a new project or open an existing one.

New Project
A. Go to File in the main menu and click on New
A
Or click on the icon below in the quick menu:

Click New project Create New Project , a

selection window will pop-up. You can select one of the six options to
start a new project.

Example of the selection window to create a new project.

55
Create a New Project

Click on Create a New Project to start with a blank data grid and setup your own database field names. A couple of
default fields are supplied to speed up the setup process. Change the default fields or add extra fields as needed.

1. Project structure

Step 1. Setup the project structure by adding the project data fields.

B C D
E F
G

H I

Example of step 1. New project: add project data columns

A. Type in the name for your new project.

B. Put in the database field name.
C. Set the data type. Select if the data are number or text for example.
D. Check these boxes if the field needs to be Required Unique .
E. With the default input field, you can add a standard value to your data field. Existing empty fields and new
records will automatically show the default value you add to this data field.
F. X
G. Enable auto-increment for Whole number data fields, to let for example the ID number increase by one for
every new record automatically.
H. Add new property button and add and describe the data field names you want to use in your
new project.
I. Next step button to go to step 2. and configure the detailed and gallery view.

56
2. Biometric settings

During step 2. you can enable the biometric images you need in your project and determine how they will be stored.

A
. B
.
C
D .
. E
F .
.

Fig. Example of step 2. New project: Biometric settings

A. The box for passport photos makes photos visible in the project and enables you to add photos.
B. After checking the box, you can determine the ratio of the photo.
C. Select how and where photos will be saved within your project.

D. Check this box if you want to use data columns to represent the filename.

E. Select the image format (.png, .jpg or .bmp) the photos need to be saved as within your project.
F. Here you can select what size the photos need to be saved as within your project.
G. The proces for signatures works the same as the photo settings.
H. Next step

57
3. View configuration

During step 3. choose the default configuration or adjust the setup for Detailed and Gallery view.

A B
. .
C
.

D
.

E
.

Example of step 3. New project: view configuration

A. Tab to configure Detailed view showing specific information.

B. Tab to configure Gallery view showing cardholders photos.
C. Setup the title for the detailed view.
D. Setup the information that will be shown in the detailed view.
E. Next step 4. and add triggers to the project.

A
.

B
.

Example of the A. Detailed view and the B. Gallery view

58
4. Card designs

Step 4. allows you to add card designs to your new project.

A C

B D E

A. Select one of the available designs.

B. Add
C. If you want to remove a design from your project, select one of the designs in this list.
D. Click on the remove button if you want to delete the selected design from your project.
E. Edit
design.

The data binding tool is a powerful option in PrintStudio. When you add a new
layout or update a layout you will be prompted to create the data bindings.
Dynamic fields used and created in your layout may differ from the naming or
spelling of a name that exists in your Project database. Therefore, you will be
allowed to create the data bindings. The dynamic fields that are created in the
layout are presented to the left and you can bind these dynamic fields to the
database fields. The tool will create the bindings for you that are obvious: if
they are the same or as they were bonded at the previous update; of course,
you will be able to modify the bindings and confirm these settings. The new or
modified layout will be available in the dashboard of PrintStudio.

F. Preview of a selected Card Design.

59
 5. Triggers

Step 5. allows you to setup triggers for your project. Triggers can be used to automatically change data in your project on
a certain condition or event.

D E
A
. .
.
F
.

B C
. .
G
.
Example of step 5. New project: Triggers

A. Select one of the events from this list and add specific triggers. PrintStudio will automatically wait for the
event to occur before performing the action that is linked to the trigger.
B. All data columns of the new project are listed. Select one of the columns to link a trigger action to it.
C. Add trigger trigger to the data column and specify the trigger with events
and actions.
D. The property shows you the selected data column.
E. Select the action you want to connect to the data column from the drop-down menu and define the action.
F. X delete a trigger from an event.
G. Next step 6. and create the project.

Define the action that is performed once the event has been met. Some actions are only available for specific columns (for
example, incrementing number values can only be done on Number type columns). All changes need to be saved before
they become active. Understand that triggers might cause your original data to change, so make sure no vital data is lost
when working with triggers.

60
6. Create project

During step 6. the application will start creating your new project after you click on the A. Create project If there are
problems, read the feedback provided and click on the B. Previous button to go back and make the needed adjustments.

You are now ready to start adding records to your data grid.

A
.
B
.
Example of step 6. New project: Create project.

61
Create a New CardStudio Project with database connection

To create a new CardStudio project with database you need the CardStudio 2.0 Enterprise or Professional Edition. Go to the
CardStudio Database Connection Chapter for more information.

1. Data sources

A
B C

G
H

Example of a New PrintStudio Database project with Microsoft SQL database connection step 1: data sources

A. Give your PrintStudio Database project a unique name.

B. Add data source
C. Remove data source to remove a connection.
D. Select the type of Database you want to connect with, give the server name, port number and database name.
Several database types are supported:
− Microsoft SQL Server
− Microsoft Access files
− MySQL Server
− Oracle Server
− ODBC
E. When an external database is secured with credentials you can add those credentials here.
F. Click on Test connection test the connection with the external database.
G. Select the added database connection and click on Add table project.
H. Click on Next to continue to the next step.

62
2. Image sources

Step 2. Let you specify where your biometric images are located.

A B

Example of a new project with database connection to a Microsoft SQL database step 2. Image sources.

A. Check the box when you want to add signatures and or passport photos to your project.

B. After checking the box, you can determine the ratio of the photo.

C. Select the image source, from where the images need to be imported into your project.

D. Select what size the photos need to be saved as, within your project.

E. Next step and configure the detailed and gallery view.

63
3. View configuration

Step 3. Choose the default configuration or adjust the setup for Detailed and Gallery view.

B
C
A

Example of step 3. New project with database: View configuration

A. Tab to configure Detailed view, showing specific card holders information.

B. Tab to configure Gallery view, showing card holders photos.
C. Setup the title for the detailed view.
D. Setup the information that will be shown in the detailed view.
E. Next step and add triggers to the project.

A
.

B
.

Example of the A. Detailed view and the B. Gallery view

64
4. Card designs

Step 4. allows you to add card designs to your new project.

A C

B D E

A. Select one of the available designs.

B. Add
C. If you want to remove a design from your project, select one of the designs in this list.
D. Click on the remove button if you want to delete the selected design from your project.
E. Select Edit
design.

The data binding tool is a powerful option in PrintStudio. When you add a new
layout or update a layout you will be prompted to create the data bindings.
Dynamic fields used and created in your layout may differ from the naming or
spelling of a name that exists in your Project database. Therefore, you will be
allowed to create the data bindings. The dynamic fields that are created in the
layout are presented to the left and you can bind these dynamic fields to the
database fields. The tool will create the bindings for you that are obvious: if
they are the same or as they were bonded at the previous update; of course,
you will be able to modify the bindings and confirm these settings. The new or
modified layout will be available in the dashboard of PrintStudio.

F. Preview of a selected Card Design.

65
 5. Triggers

Step 5. allows you to setup triggers for your project. Triggers can be used to automatically change data in your project on
a certain condition or event.

A D E

B C

Example of step 5. New project with database: Triggers

A. Select one of the events from this list and add specific triggers. PrintStudio will automatically wait for the
event to occur before performing the action that is linked to the trigger.
B. All data columns of the new project are listed. Select one of the columns to link a trigger action to it.
C. Add trigger
and actions.
D. The property shows you the selected data column.
E. Select the action you want to connect to the data column from the drop-down menu and define the action.
F. X
G. Next step 5. and create the project.

Define the action that is performed once the event has been met. Some actions are only available for specific columns (for
example, incrementing number values can only be done on Number type columns). All changes need to be saved before
they become active. Please be aware that triggers might cause your original data to change, so make sure no vital data is
lost when working with triggers.

66
6. Create project

Step 6. Will create your new project after you click on the A. Create project
provided and click on the B. Previous button to go back and make the needed adjustments.

You are now ready to start adding records to your data grid.

A
B

Example of step 6. New project with database: Create project.

67
Create copy of an existing Project

create a
new project as a copy of another project.

Example of step 1. New project: Copy existing project.

1. Select project

A. Rename the project.

B. Select a copy with data or structure only. Select structure if you only want the data field setup and not the content of
the previous project.
C. Select an existing project from the list presented.
D. Next step button to create the copy project.

68
 2. Copy project

Step 2. creates a copy of the project after you click on the A. button. Select B. to make changes in the
previous step. You are now ready to start adding records to your data grid.

Example of step 2. New project: Copy project.

69
Import Project from Excel

PrintStudio also offers to create new projects based on Excel files. PrintStudio will base the project structure on the Excel
structure and will import all the data from the Excel file into the new project.

1. Data source
Step 1. Select the Excel file and Worksheet needed for the setup of the new project. You can also add a Photo source and or
Signature Source if needed.

A
B
C

E
F

G
H

I
Example of step 1. New project imported from excel file: Data source.

A. Click on this button and select the Excel/CSV file you want to import and create a new project with.
B. Select the worksheet you want to use from the drop-down menu.
C. Select the date format you are using in the Excel file.
D. Select the row that contains the column names.
E. Select the column that connects with the unique photo names (for example: ID number or index).
F. Select the folder that contains the card photos.
G. Select the column that connects with the unique signature names (for example: ID number or index).
H. Select the folder that contains the signatures.
I. Next step

70
2. Project structure

Step 2. Name the new project and check the imported Excel data structure. Change, delete or add data columns here in the
new project structure.

C
B
D E F

G
H

Example of step 2. New project from Excel file: Project data columns

A. Type in the name for your new project.

B. Put in the project data column name.
C. Set the data type. Select if the data are number or text for example. The following types of database fields are
supported:
1. Whole Number, when selecting this type, - . When a new record is created the
number will be the highest number in the project increased by 1.
2. Text
3. Decimal number
4. Option list, when this list type is selected, you can add and delete the values from the list that is presented for
this database field. When you change a datatype from text to option list, PrintStudio automatically generates a
list based on the data already in that data field.
D. Required /o Unique
E. With the default input field, you can add a standard value to your data field, existing empty fields and new records
will automatically get the default value you add to this data field.
F. X eld from the project structure setup.
G. Add new property button and add and describe the data field names you want to use in your new
project.
H. Next step 2. and configure the detailed and gallery view

71
3. Biometric settings

Step 3. Enable the biometric images needed in the new project and determine how they will be stored.

A
. B
.
C
D .
. E
.
F
.

G
.

H
.

Example of step 3. New project from Excel file: Biometric settings

A. The box for passport photos makes photos visible in the project and enables you to add photos.
B. After checking the box, you can determine the ratio of the photo.
C. Select how and where photos will be saved within your project.

D. Check this box if you want to use data columns to represent the filename.

E. Select the image format (.png, .jpg or .bmp) the photos need to be saved as within your project.
F. Here you can select what size the photos need to be saved as within your project.
G. The proces for signatures works the same as the photo settings.
H. Next step

72
4. View configuration

Step 4. Choose the default configuration or adjust the setup for Detailed and Gallery view.

A
B

Example of step 4. New project from Excel file: View configuration

A. Tab to configure Detailed view, showing specific information.

B. Tab to configure Gallery view, showing cardholders photos.
C. Setup the title for the detailed view.
D. Setup the information that will be shown in the detailed view.
E. Next step 5. and add triggers to the project.

A
.

B
.

Example of the A. Detailed view and the B. Gallery view

73
5. Card designs

Step 5. allows you to add card designs to your new project.

A C

B D E

A. Select one of the available designs.

B. Add
C. If you want to remove a design from your project, select one of the designs in this list.
D. Click on the remove button if you want to delete the selected design from your project.
E. Select Edit
design.

The data binding tool is a powerful option in PrintStudio. When you add a new
layout or update a layout you will be prompted to create the data bindings.
Dynamic fields used and created in your layout may differ from the naming or
spelling of a name that exists in your Project database. Therefore, you will be
allowed to create the data bindings. The dynamic fields that are created in the
layout are presented to the left and you can bind these dynamic fields to the
database fields. The tool will create the bindings for you that are obvious: if
they are the same or as they were bonded at the previous update; of course,
you will be able to modify the bindings and confirm these settings. The new or
modified layout will be available in the dashboard of PrintStudio.

F. Preview of a selected Card Design.

74
6. Triggers

Step 6. Allows you to setup triggers for your project. Triggers can be used to automatically change data in your project on a
certain condition or event.

A
E
D F

B C

Example of step 6. New project from Excel file: Triggers

A. Select one of the events from this list and add specific triggers. PrintStudio will automatically wait for the
event to occur before performing the action that is linked to the trigger.
B. All data columns of the new project are listed. Select one of the columns to link a trigger action to.
C. Add trigger the trigger to the data column and specify the trigger with events
and actions.
D. The property shows you the selected data column.
E. Select the action you want to connect to the data column from the drop-down menu and define the action.
F. X to delete a trigger from an event.
G. Next step 7. and create the project.

Define the action that is performed once the event has been met. Some actions are only available for specific columns (for
example, incrementing number values can only be done on Number type columns). All changes need to be saved before
they become active. Please be aware that triggers might cause your original data to change, so make sure no vital data is
lost when working with triggers.

75
7. Import Project

Step 7. Creates the new project imported from an Excel file as soon as you click on the A. Create project . B. Click on
Previous step button to make any changes before creating the project.

A
B

Example of step 6. New project: import new Excel project.

76
New Project from BadgeMaker 7 Project

1. Select BadgeMaker 7 Project

PrintStudio supports creating new projects based on a former BadgeMaker 7 (Classic) project.

Example of step 1. New project from a BadgeMaker 7 project: Select BadgeMaker 7 Project

A. Click on this button to select the BadgeMaker 7 project.

B. Click on this button to select the BadgeMaker 7 database.

C. Next step and check the project structure.

77
2. Project structure

Step 2. Name the new project and check the imported BadgeMaker 7 structure. Change, delete or add data columns here in
the new Project structure.

C
B
D E
F

G H

Example of step 2. New project from a BadgeMaker 7 project: Project data columns.

A. Type in the name for your new project.

B. Put in the column name
C. Set the data type. Select if the data are number or text for example. The following types of database fields are
supported:
1. Whole Number, when selecting this type, -
number will be the highest number in the Project increased by 1.
2. Text
3. Decimal number
4. Option list, when this list type is selected, you can add and delete the list values from the list that is presented for
this database field. When you change a datatype from text to option list, PrintStudio automatically generates a
list based on the data already in that data field.

D. Required / Unique
E. With the default input field, you can add a standard value to your data field, existing empty fields and new records
will automatically get the default value you add to this data field.
F. X ure setup.
G. Add new property button and add and describe the data field names you want to use in your new
project.
H. Next step button to go to step 3.

78
3. Biometric settings

Step 3. Enable biometric images (Passport photos and/or Signatures) for the new project and setup how these images will be
stored.

A
. B
. C
D .
.
E
.

F
.

G
.
Example of step 3. New project from BadgeMaker 7: Biometric settings

A. The box for passport photos make photos visible in the project and enables you to add photos.

B. Determine the ratio of the photo with the drop-down menu.

C. Select how and where photos will be saved within your project.

D. Check this box if you want to use data columns to represent the filename.

E. Select the image format (.png, .jpg or .bmp) the photos need to be saved as within your project.

F. Select the dpi and size of the photos that will be created and saved within your project.

G. The checkbox for the signatures allows you to make signatures visible in the project and enables you to add
passport photos. The signature section works similar as the passport photo section above. Next step
button to go to step 3. and configure the detailed and gallery view

79
4. View configuration

Step 4. Choose for the default configuration or adjust the setup for the Detailed and Gallery view in the new project.

A
B

Example of step 4. New project from BadgeMaker 7: View configuration

A. Tab to configure Detailed view showing specific information.

B. Tab to configure Gallery view showing cardholders photos.
C. Setup the title for the detailed view.
D. Setup the information that will be available in the detailed view. Use the detailed view to have a clear
and make quick adjustments to the data.
E. Next step 5. and add triggers to the project.

A
.

B
.

Example of the A. detailed view and the B. gallery view

80
5. Triggers

Step 5. Allows you to setup triggers for your project. Triggers can be used to automatically change data in your project on a
certain condition or event.

A
E
D F

B C

Example of step 5. New project from BadgeMaker 7: Triggers

A. Select one of the events from this list and add specific triggers. PrintStudio will automatically wait for the
event to occur before performing the action that is linked to the trigger.
B. All data columns of the new project are listed. Select one of the columns to link a trigger action to it.
C. Add trigger trigger with events
and actions.
D. The property shows you the selected data column.
E. Select the action you want to connect to the data column from the drop-down menu and define the action.
F. Click o X
G. Next step 6. and create the project.

Define the action that is performed once the event has been met. Some actions are only available for specific columns (for
example, incrementing number values can only be done on Number type columns). All changes need to be saved before
they become active. Understand that Triggers might cause your original data to change, so make sure no vital data is lost
when working with Triggers.

81
6. Import Project

Step 6. Creates the new project based on the BadgeMaker 7 project as soon as you click on the A. Create project
B. Previous step button to make any changes before creating the project.

Example of step 6. New project from a BadgeMaker 7 project.

82
New Project from IDPro 7 Project

1. Select IDPro 7 Project

PrintStudio supports creating new projects based on a former IDPro 7 project.

Example of step 1. New project: Select IDPro 7 Project

A. Click on this button to select the IDPro 7 configuration file from your computer.

B. Click on the dropdown menu to select the IDPro 7 project and the table you would like to use to setup the new project.

C. Next step and check or adjust the project structure.

83
2. Project structure

Step 2. Name the new project and check the imported IDPro 7 structure. Change, delete or add data columns here in the
new project structure.

C
B
D E F

G
H
Example of step 2. New project from an IDPro 7 project: Project data columns.

A. Type in the name for your new project.

B. Put in the column name
C. Set the data type. Select if the data are number or text for example. The following types of database fields are
supported:
1. Whole Number, when selecting this type, auto-increment
number will be the highest number in the project increased by 1.
2. Text
3. Decimal number
4. Option list, when this list type is selected, you can add and delete the list values from the list that is presented for
this database field. When you change a datatype from text to option list, PrintStudio automatically generates a
list based on the data already in that data field.
D. Required / Unique
E. With the default input field, you can add a standard value to your data field, existing empty fields and new records
will automatically get the default value you add to this data field.
F. X
G. Add new property button and add and describe the data field names you want to use in your new
project.
H. Next step

84
3. Biometric settings

Step 3. Enable biometric images (Passport photos and/or Signatures) for the new project and setup how these images will be
stored.

A
. B
. C
D .
. E
.
F
.

G
.

H
.
Example of step 3. New project from IDPro 7: Biometric settings

A. The checkbox for passport photos allows you to make photos visible in the project and enable to add photos.

B. After checking the box, determine the ratio of the photo in the drop-down menu.

C. Select how and where photos will be saved that are used in the project.

D. Check this box to use data columns to represent the filename .

E. Select the image format (png, jpg or bmp) that the image needs to be saved as.

F. Here you can select what size the photos need to be saved as within your project.

G. The checkbox for the signature allow you to make signatures visible in the project and enable to add signatures.
The signature section works the same as the Passport photo section above.

H. Next step and configure the detailed and gallery view.

85
4. View configuration

Step 4. Choose the default configuration or adjust the setup for the Detailed and Gallery view in the new project.

A
B

Example of step 4. New project from IDPro 7: View configuration

A. Tab to configure Detailed view showing specific card holders information.

B. Tab to configure Gallery view showing card holders photos.
C. Setup the title for the detailed view.
D. Setup the information that will be available in the detailed view. Use the detailed view to have a clear

E. Next step and add triggers to the project.

A
.

B
.

Example of the A. Detailed view and the B. Gallery view

86
5. Triggers

Step 5. Allows you to setup triggers for your project. Triggers can be used to automatically change data in your project on a
certain condition or event.

A
E
D F

B C

Example of step 5. New project from IDPro 7: Triggers

A. Select one of the events from this list and add specific triggers. PrintStudio will automatically wait for the
event to occur before performing the action that is linked to the trigger.
B. All data columns of the new project are listed. Select one of the columns to link a trigger action to it.
C. Add trigger on to add the trigger to the data column and specify the trigger with events
and actions.
D. The property shows you the selected data column.
E. Select the action you want to connect to the data column from the drop-down menu and define the action.
F. Click on the X
G. Next step and create the project.

Define the action that is performed once the event has been met. Some actions are only available for specific columns (for
example, incrementing number values can only be done on Number type columns). All changes need to be saved before
they become active. Please be aware that triggers might cause your original data to change, so make sure no vital data is
lost when working with triggers.

87
6. Import Project

Step 6. Creates the new project based on the IDPro 7 project as soon as you click on the A. Create project B. Click
Previous step button to make any changes before creating the project.

Example of step 6. New project: import IDPro 7 project.

88
PrintStudio
Open Project

89
 Open link or button. All available existing projects are displayed, select the project
that needs to be opened.

Example of the Open existing project popup window.

A. Select one of the existing projects

B. Open project

90
PrintStudio
Import Data

91
Import data into a PrintStudio project if more data from for example, a former project or an output from an HR-system is
needed. PrintStudio offers the import of data from an Excel/CSV file, BadgeMaker 7 project or an IDPro 7 project.

Go to File :

Example of the import data popup window.

92
Import an Excel file or CSV data file

To import data into the PrintStudio Project From an Excel file

1. Data source

Step 1. Select the Excel file and Worksheet needed for the import of the data. A Photo source and/or Signature Source can
be added if needed.

B
C

E
F

G
H
I

Example of the import data popup window.

A. Click on this button and select the Excel/CSV file you want to import and select the worksheet you want to use from
the drop-down menu below.
B. Select the row that contains the column names.
C. Select the column that connects with the unique photo names (for example: ID number or index)
D. Select the folder that contains the card photos
E. Select the column that connects with the unique signature names (for example: ID number or index)
F. Select the folder that contains the signature images
G. Next step

93
2. Configuration

Step 2. Configure how the data will be imported into the project and handles the existing data.

A
B

Example of the import Excel/CVS data popup window.

A. Choose how imported data/new records will be handled. The drop-down menu gives you three options
B. Select what happens when encountering a conversion error.
C. Select one of the fields of the excel data which uniquely identifies data in the data source.
D. Connect the source columns with the destination columns, PrintStudio will connect the columns with similar
names automatically.
E. Next step import the data.

94
3. Import data

A
B
Example of step 3. Import data

Step 3. is processing the import of the Data. A. Import data importing the data from your Excel
file. B. Previous step

95
Import BadgeMaker 7 project data

To import data into the project from a BadgeMaker 7 project From a BadgeMaker 7 project

1. Data source

Step 1. Select the BadgeMaker 7 project file and database needed for the import of the data.

Example of the import data popup window.

A. Click on this button to select the BadgeMaker 7 project from your computer.

B. Click on this button to select the BadgeMaker 7 database from your computer.

C. Next step

96
2. Configuration

A
B

Example of the import of BadgeMaker 7 data popup window.

A. Choose how imported data/new records will be handled. The drop-down menu gives you three options
B. Select what happens when encountering a conversion error.
C. Select one of the fields of the excel data which uniquely identifies data in the data source.
D. Connect the source columns with the destination columns, PrintStudio will connect the columns with similar
names automatically.
E. Next step

97
3. Import data

A
B

Example of step 3. Import data

Step 3. is processing the import of the Data. A. Import data importing the data from your Excel
file. B. Previous step

98
Import IDPro 7 data

To import data into the PrintStudio Project from an IDPro 7 project From an IDPro 7 project

1. Data source

Step 1. Select the IDPro 7 configuration file and the project needed for the import of the data.

Example of the import data popup window.

A. Click on this button to select the IDPro 7 configuration file from your computer.

B. Click on the dropdown menu to select the IDPro 7 project and table.

C. Next step

99
2. Configuration

A
B

Example of the import of IDPro 7 data popup window.

A. Choose how imported data/new records will be handled. The drop-down menu gives you three options.
B. Select what happens when encountering a conversion error.
C. Select one of the fields of the excel data which uniquely identifies data in the data source.
D. Connect the source columns with the destination columns, PrintStudio will connect the columns with similar
names automatically.
E. Next step

100
3. Import data

A
B

Example of step 3. Import data

Step 3. is processing the import of the Data. A. Import data importing the data from your Excel
file. B. Previous step

101
At step 1. Biometric data you have the option to select the folders you would like to import from for your passport photos and
or signature images.

Example of importing biometric data.

A. Select the data field that contains the unique data like the photos and or signature names.
B. Click on this button and select the photos and or signatures folder you want to import from. The images need to
have a unique name that can be connected to one of the unique fields.
C. Next step

102
PrintStudio
Export Data

103
 To export data first select the records you would like to export. Select all
records or make a selection of records. Go to the Main menu, File
and select Export data in the submenu:

A. Select to export all records or a selection of records.

B. Export

Example of exporting PrintStudio project data.

104
 The Export photos function gives the option to export passport photos and or
signature images.

To export data first select the records you would like to export. Select all records or
File Export
photos .

B
C

D F
E

B
C

D F

Example of exporting CardStudio project images.

A. To export data first select if you would like to export all records or a selection you made.
B. Check the boxes to choose to export photos and/or signatures.
C. Click on this button and select the photos and or signatures folder to export to.
D. Give the exported images a name.
E.
{ID
F. Select the file type: jpg, png or bmp.
G. Next step export the photos and or signatures.

105
PrintStudio
Project Settings

106
To change the Project Settings go to the Main Menu, Edit Project Settings
Project Settings to change the setup, project structure or to add and manage Card Designs in your project. Make sure you
Save

Detail View
Configure the layout of the detail view. The detail view is the view shown in the middle of the dashboard, giving you detailed
information of a record. Use the detailed view to quickly adjust record data.

Example of the Project settings: Detailed view configuration

A. Use the drop-down menus to select where you want to see certain data fields. At the top are usually the
most important fields selected like the first name, last name and ID number.

A
.

Example of the A. Detailed view in the PrintStudio Dashboard.

107
Gallery view
The Gallery View is the Photo slide presentation. Gallery view lets you find a persons record very easy when people are
showing up at the front desk to change or replace a card. In the Gallery setting you can select 2 (two) database fields that are
presented with the Photo. You can select First name and Last name or choose for the record ID or any other database field.

Example of the Preview Project settings: Gallery view

A. In the Gallery setting you can select 2 (two) database fields that are presented with the Photo. You can select First
name and Last name or chose for the record ID or any other database field.

A
.
Example of the A. Gallery view in the PrintStudio Dashboard.

108
Biometric settings
The Biometric settings is for managing the Passport Photos and/or Signatures in the project
adjust the settings for the photos or signatures.

A
. B
. C
.
D
. E
.

F
.

G
.
Example of the Project settings: Biometric settings

A. The checkbox for passport photos allows you to make photos visible in the project and enables you to add photos.

B. Determine the ratio of the photo with the drop-down menu.

C. Select how and where photos will be saved within your project.

D. Check this box if you want to use data columns to represent the filename.

E. Select with what dpi and size the photos need to be saved within your project.

F. The checkbox for the signature allows you to make signatures visible in the project and enable you to add
signatures. The signature section works the same as the passport photo section above.

G. Next step and configure the detailed and gallery view.

109
Card Designs
Add and manage Card Designs in your project.

A D
. .

G
.

B C E F
. . . .
Example of the Project settings: Card Designs

A. Select one of the available designs.

B. Add If the Design has Dynamic data, bind this data to the
correct data fields in your project.
C. If you already have a card design in the project, but changed the design, choose to update it by clicking on the
Update button. Any change made to an existing design in the project will be updated after clicking on this button.
D. If you want to remove a design from your project, select one of the designs in this list, then click on E.
E. Click on the remove button if you want to delete one of the selected designs from your project.
F. Edit bindings when you want to edit the bindings for the dynamic data of the card
design.

1. The data binding tool is a powerful option in

PrintStudio.

When you add a new layout or update a layout you will

be prompted to create the data bindings. Dynamic
fields used and created in your layout may differ from
the naming or spelling of a name that exists in your
Project database. Therefore, you will be allowed to
create the data bindings.

The dynamic fields that are created in the layout are

presented to the left and you can bind these dynamic
fields to the database fields. The tool will create the
bindings for you that are obvious: if they are the same
or as they were bonded at the previous update; of
course, you will be able to modify the bindings and
confirm these settings. The new or modified layout will
be available in the dashboard of CardStudio Identity.

G. Preview of a selected Card Design.

110
Card designs assignment
It is possible to assign the card designs using a specific project column.

B C

Example of the Project settings: Card design assignment

A. Click on the drop-down menu to select the column. In the example we select the Company column. There is a
different card design for every Company in the project.
B. Enter the value that needs to be linked to a specific card design. In the example company names are entered.
C. Select one of the available card designs from the drop-down menu and link the design to the value entered in the
input field (B).
D. Select one of the card designs from the drop-down menu as the default design for all the data not corresponding
with the values entered above.
E. Enter another value to add to the mapping and click Add new mapping value . For example if you would like to
add another company with a new company design.

111
Project structure
The project structure settings is for managing your structure. You can create, edit or delete data columns in your project.

B
A C D E

Example of the Project settings: Project structure

A. Enter the column name.

B. Set the data type. Select if the data are number or text for example. The following types of database fields are
supported:
1. Whole Number, when selecting this type, auto- . When a new record is created the
number will be the highest number in the Project increased by 1.
2. Text
3. Decimal number
4. Option list, when this list type is selected, you can add and delete the list values from the list that is presented for
this database field. When you change a datatype from text to option list, PrintStudio automatically generates a
list based on the data already in that data field.
C. Required / Unique
D. With the default input field, you can add a standard value to your data field, existing empty fields and new records
will automatically get the default value you add to this data field.
E. X
F. Add new property button and add and describe the data field names you want to use in your new
project.

112
Triggers
Setup triggers for your project. Triggers can be used to automatically change data in your project on a certain condition or
event.

A
E
F
D

C
B

Example of Project Settings: Triggers

A. Select one of the events from this list and add specific triggers. PrintStudio will automatically wait for the
event to occur before performing the action that is linked to the trigger.
B. All data columns of the new project are listed. Select one of the columns to link a trigger action to it.
C. Add trigger ata column and specify the trigger with events
and actions.
D. The property shows you the selected data column.
E. Select the action you want to connect to the data column from the drop-down menu and define the action.
F. X trigger from an event.

Define the action that is performed once the event has been met. Some actions are only available for specific columns (for
example, incrementing number values can only be done on number type columns). All changes need to be saved before
they become active. Understand that triggers might cause your original data to change, so make sure no vital data is lost
when working with triggers.

113
Manage Project
Delete your project. You are able to completely delete the current project you are working on.

Example of the Project settings: Project management

114
PrintStudio
Link Card Design to record

115
Link your records to your Card Design, so you can print a card.

When a data record is selected Link

connect the design to the record. To change the connection to a different lay- Unlink
and link another design. It is possible to select multiple data records at the same time and connect the selected records to a
lay-out. Use CTRL+A, + CTRL or +SHIFT, Use CTRL+A to select all records.

116
PrintStudio
Records

117
Records are single data rows that contain all the information of one person. There is a button for adding and deleting a
record.

Add Records
Records are single data rows that contain all the information of one person. There is a button for adding and deleting a
record manually. (To add multiple records, choose to import an excel file for example.)

1. Add a new record

If you add a record, a new pop-up window will appear to enter the new record data. The entry form allows the user to enter
the data and Capture Photo and/or Signature.

1. Information
A. Enter the needed information for each field and click on the
B. Next Step

A
.

B
.
Example of the information tab when adding a new record.

118
2. Photo

A. Select the source of camera you want to use from the drop-down menu. You can choose to use your web cam or a
TWAIN camera that you installed and connected to your computer.

B. Start automatic capture

pictures. You can select one of the three pictures to add to the new record.

C. The Photo functionality will show you the camera view.

D. Capture photo
upload an image from your computer. Click on

E. To change the camera setting click on the drop-down to select the capture
resolution and click the settings icon to adjust more settings. These settings
can be different depending on the camera.

F. Next Step

A
B .
.
E
.

C
.

D B
. .

F
.
Example of the photo tab when adding a new record.

119
3. Signature

A. Connect the signature pad to the PC. Use a signature pad to write a signature into this field.
B. Scale the signature using the slider.
C. Select a signature from file.

A
.

B
.
C
.

Example of the signature tab when adding a new record.

120
Print records

To print a certain record, select it and then click on the print button in the quick menu or go to File and click on the print link.

A. A print window appears, and you can select the printer you
installed for the card printing process. This manual does not
describe the installation of printers. Please refer to the Zebra
Card Printer manuals for further information on these devices.
Print

A
.
Example printer setup window.

B. A print progress window will pop up that will

show you the progress of the cards that are
being printed.

121
PrintStudio
Database Connection

122
PrintStudio Project with database connection allows users to connect with external databases, and use the data to
complement their local project, or even base the entire project upon. There are four types of databases supported:

• Microsoft SQL Server

• Microsoft Access files
• MySQL Server
• Oracle Server

Choosing from one of these four settings is highly recommended, however it is also possible to connect to a database
through an ODBC driver. Connecting with one of the supported databases allows you to make full use of the database s
functionality. For example: PrintStudio will automatically lock tables when adding or updating records, it will automatically
detect user rights and allows you to work with views.

Connecting with a data source through an ODBC driver provides you with more basic functionality, but it will suffice for most
single-user environments. PrintStudio projects with database connection will automatically detect any available ODBC drivers
on the system, if the required ODBC driver is not listed, it can be installed using the Microsoft update website or tool in your
operating system.

Note: CardStudio 2.0 does not create an external database for you, it only creates a connection to an existing external
database.

The screenshot below shows the Project Settings dialog, where the option for PrintStudio projects with an external database
connection will be present depending on the CardStudio Edition you purchased.

123
Setting up a PrintStudio Database connection

How to set up a PrintStudio Project with Database connection

Follow these steps if you want to create a project using an external data source as your primary source of information.
Start by creating a new project.

A. Click the New P Create project with database

Example of a New Project pop-up window: Create project with database.

124
Connect with database

A
.
B
.
C
.
D
.

E
.

F
.

Example of a new PrintStudio Project with external database connection step 1: data sources.

A. Enter the name of your New PrintStudio project with database connection.

B. Add data source database.

C. Select the type of database you would like to connect with. Different types of databases are supported:

Configuring a Microsoft SQL Server data source

After selecting Microsoft SQL Server as the type of data source, you can fill in all information required to connect to
the server.

D. Server: Path or IP address to the server. If the server is hosted on another system in the network, it can be either
addressed as \\servername or the IP address of the server. Information such as the database name, username
and password, in most cases are provided by your database administrator.
Note: to be able to work with a Microsoft SQL Server, an active network connection must be available.

Configuring a Microsoft Access data source

To define a Microsoft Access data source,

select the option from the drop-down list, and
find the path to your database by choosing the

Please note that a username and password may

not be required for your Microsoft Access file, in
which case these fields can be left empty.

125
Configuring a MySQL or Oracle data source

Configuring a MySQL or Oracle server as a data

source is done the same way as defining a
Microsoft SQL Server data source.

Server: Path or IP address to the server. If the

server is hosted on another system in the
network, it can be either addressed as
\\servername or the IP address of the server. E
.
Port: Databases have a standard or adjusted port number. PrintStudio uses the standard port number when the input
field is left empty. Information such as the port number, database name, username and password, in most cases are
provided by your database administrator.

Note: to be able to work with a MySQL or Oracle Server, an active network connection must be available.

Configuring a data source through an ODBC driver

After selecting ODBC as the type of data source,

select one of the ODBC drivers installed on your
system. Please note that Windows may have
more than one driver installed per file extension.

After selecting the driver, you can provide a

direct path to your database file. This can be a
local path (C:\Example\Example.mdb) or a
remote path (\\Server\Example\Example.mdb).

Note: To be able to open your project using a

remote directory, an active network connection
must be available.

E. Test
connection pop-up Database
connection successful can proceed. If the connection
cannot be established, the dialogue will report a detailed
overview of the problem. Check all information and make
sure a connection with the external server is available
before trying again.

F. Once the connection Add table to continue

configuring your data source. A pop-up dialogue will list all tables
available for you.
F
Microsoft SQL Server will likely only list database tables, where other
files (such as MS Access databases) might also list tables otherwise
invisible to the user.

126
Configure the database tables for the project

A
.
B
.
C
.

D
.
E
.

F
.
G
.
A. After selecting a table, you can configure the rights to the table, and to each of the listed columns in the table. Users
connecting with a Microsoft SQL Server can create and remove rows, whereas users connecting through an ODBC
Edit data box for existing rows.

B. T Primary table
during the process of defining the data sources, so make sure that the primary table is correctly configured.

C. For a primary table, you can ID column

tables, you must define its relation to the primary table or to one of the tables linked to the primary table. This means
that each table will have to contain a column containing a corresponding type and kind of data. It is advised to keep
ID column as read-only or even hidden if the data in the column is not crucial to users
working with the data grid.

D. Edit the display names of the column as you see fit for your PrintStudio Project.

E. The list of columns can be used to define certain restrictions to Read Write
Read PrintStudio, and what data
should be managed by other external systems.

F. Refresh table to make sure that all the data loaded from the database table is up to date.

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 G. Next step can define the
image sources for Passport Photos and Signatures in your project. You can choose from three different options:

1. Read image from local project

Selecting this option stores captured images along with the CardStudio Identity project files. This option can be
used to capture new image data.

2. Read or download image from path or URL

This option allows you to read images from a remote directory either on a server or on a network drive. This can
only be used to read image data. New data cannot be captured.

3. Read image from database (blob)

This allows you to read an image from a specific column in the databased marked as BLOB (Binary Large Object)
This option can be used to both read existing data and capture new image data to the database.

Changes when working with PrintStudio with external database connection

There are a couple of changes that may be noticeable when working with PrintStudio connecting to an external database in
comparison to regular PrintStudio projects.

Loading times
The time it takes to load your project, or to process changes to your database may increase. This is due to the time it
takes to transfer data over the network, login to the database or retrieve data from the external data sources.

Grayed-out columns
Columns t
that you will not be able to alter data for that specific column.

Data from local or external database

When working with multiple data sources, it can become
confusing to remember what information belongs to what data
source. In order to clarify, PrintStudio labels sources with
<table_name>.<column_name>. This means that a column
Firstname
Students.Firstname In the project this will display
when hovering over a column name.

Updating or adding pictures

Depending on the read or write access restrictions and the configuration of image sources in your project, you may
or may not be able to add new images.

Project has stopped working

PrintStudio cannot prevent external data sources from changing. If a file gets removed, or a database gets changed,
it might cause your PrintStudio project to stop working. Always consult with your database administrator to ensure
that data you need in your PrintStudio Project is made redundantly available to you.

Default values
When creating a new project, or when altering a project structure, you can define certain default values for your
column types. However, when using PrintStudio with an external database connection, these default values will be
only filled for new records or when manually entering the information into the field. The reason for this is because the
local project data does not contain the same amount of records as the external sources, and new records are never
created automatically.

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PrintStudio
Encode

129
CardStudio Encode allows you to encode data from your PrintStudio project onto a smart card. With CardStudio Encode,
CardStudio introduces a new file format that is used to contain all information related to the encoding of the card, which can
easily and securely be shared with other parties who collaborate on the same project.

Contactless Encoding
CardStudio Encode currently supports the encoding of MIFARE Classic, Plus and DESfire cards. Encoding is done using card

SmartCard Editor
The SmartCard Editor is a tool that is made available to all users of the CardStudio software package. This tool allows you to
create an encoding template for MIFARE Classic, Plus and DESfire cards using all the major features for each of the
standards.

Creating a MIFARE Classic Template using the CCI Editor

Launch the SmartCard File New Mifare

Classic (4k)

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 A
.

B
.
FF
.
C
.

D
.

E
.

A. The Card Settings are displayed on top of the screen. You can define whether the card should use MAD Sectors
(Mifare Application Directory documents directory-like structure that describes how sectors on card are used) or not.
Enabling this setting will have an impact on specific sectors and their contents. It will also automatically generate Key
A for sector 0 (and sector 16 for 4K cards).

B. Description of the sector.

C. Define keys, determine read and write settings for each of the four data blocks.

D. Create data segments to fill the available space.

E. The CCI Editor visualizes any data that will be encoded onto the Smart Card to give the user a better view of the
amount of used and available space in each sector. Certain blocks (such as Block 0 on Sector 0, and the Trailer
Block on all sectors) are reserved for manufacturer information and storing keys. These are not available to the user
and are displayed as hatched.

Each square represents one byte of information. When adding sector data, the length of the data is visualized on the
right. Each item in the list is given a slightly different color to make it easier to understand how the data is transferred
to the card.

F. List of sectors is displayed, 16 for 1K cards, 40 for 4K cards. Depending on the settings, each of the sectors can
contain information that will be encoded onto the card using PrintStudio.

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Information about Sector Data

Dynamic Data
This is information that will be added to the card by your CardStudio project. Like adding card designs, when you add a CCI
file to your project, a pop-up will allow you to bind columns in your project to each of these items. You must always ensure
that the data in your project corresponds with the settings you have chosen in terms of length and data type. The following
data types are available.

◦ ASCII All standard ASCII characters are allowed.

◦ Numeric
◦ Alphabetic
◦ Alpha-numeric 9
◦ Alphabetic and special Punctuation marks
◦ Alpha-numeric and special
◦ Binary-coded decimal (5)
◦ Binary-coded decimal
◦ Binary-coded decimal date YYYYMMDD each two digits in one byte
◦ Decimal 0.00 (Fixed point)
◦ Wiegand-26 Facility and card codes with parity
◦ Hexadecimal 0123456789ABCDEF
◦ Octal 012345678
◦ Binary 01

In addition, you can add a description of the sector data to remind you of certain agreements.

Constant Data
Constant or Static data is data that is manually entered in the CCI file and will never change. The format of this piece of
information can be of any of the types mentioned in the Dynamic Data section.

Empty Space
This item can be used to indicate a specific part of a sector that will never be used.

Card serial number

This is a 10, 7 or 4-byte, data section which will automatically contain the card serial number when the card is being encoded.

Using these options, you can create any type of CCI file. Once completed, you can save your work in either an unencrypted
file (XML) or an encrypted CCI file. If you choose the latter option, you will be required to enter a password that will also be
required when adding the CCI file to your CardStudio Identity project.

132
Creating a MIFARE DESfire template using the CCI Editor

DESfire cards take an entirely different approach to encoding compared to MIFARE Classic or Plus cards. With DESfire, you
can define Applications and Files that contain information, each with specific access settings. Similar to MIFARE Classic,
launch the SmartCard Editor, which will open to a blank window. Choose File New DESFire

A. The Card settings panel will allow you to define general rules for your encoding template. A DESFire card features a
Card master key that can be used to re-encode or erase the card at any time. All keys for DESFire cards can be encoded
using 3DES, 3K3DES or AES encrypted keys. A key can be either generated or entered manually.

The other options for the Card settings dialog are self-explanatory but must be decided with caution as they will impact
how flexible the card can be used after being encoded. In addition to the default DESFire features, reset keys are
implemented that allow for cards to be repurposed, by users even though the Card master key might not be available.
Distributing the Card master key might not be desirable because of possible security liabilities. Multiple Reset keys can
be created to supply to different vendors.

B. Once Card settings have

been defined, an application can be
Add
A application
. the screen. Doing so will
automatically create an application
000001 .

C. On the right side of the

screen, information can be entered
to define the Application such as a
Description, an ID (Hexadecimal
value) and the Encryption type. For
each application, settings are
available that define future use of
C the application such as allowing the
. Master key to be changed or
Authentication settings for
accessing the data in the
application.

D. Each application can have

up to 10 keys that can be distributed
D to vendors for use of the
. application.
B
.

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E. Once finished, choose Add file File 0 application.

F. Each file will contain a Description and a File number. Communication mode determines the way in which the file can
exchange data. It is highly recommended to use the Encrypted setting, as the Plain (unencrypted) mode should only be
used for data that does not contain sensitive information. All DESFire file types are supported to accommodate
integration with access control or payment systems that support the DESFire standard. For general purposes, select the
Standard data file Each file has individual settings for Read, Write and Read/Write access, as
well as an access rule for changing these settings after encoding the card.

G. Standard file types require you to set the total file size. Keep in mind that this must be equal to or greater than the total
amount of bytes that are used by your file data. In our example, the total amount of data used is 42 bytes, but the file is
given 64 bytes instead.

F
.

G
.

H
.
E
.
H. File data is added to the File in a similar fashion to defining
MIFARE Classic or Plus templates. Select a data type from the
dropdown box and Add
Define the data format and alignment, as well as the field as
this will be the identifier once the CCI file is linked to your
PrintStudio project.

Each DESFire template can contain a maximum of 32 applications, and each application can contain a maximum of 32 files.

Once completed, the template can be either saved to a human-readable XML format, or a password-encrypted CCI format.
Both can be used to encode cards in your CardStudio Identity project.

134
Encoding with PrintStudio

Encoding with CardStudio Identity has been fully integrated into the printing process. The most important step to enable
encoding for your project is to add your CCI file to your project. Go to the Project Settings panel, and select Encoding
Settings from the Card encoding tab.

E F

C
D
A B

A. Add CCI -file you

created with the CCI-editor and want to add to your
CardStudio project to connect to the card designs. When
your CCI-file has been secured with a password you first
have to fill in the correct password before the file is added
to your project.

B. When you added the wrong CCI-file or want to delete an old file you can select the file from the list and click on the
Delete CCI button to delete the CCI-file from your project.

C. Select the CCI-file from the list and like to connect to a card design, then select the card design from the drop-down
list.

D. Link to card design to link the card design to the CCI-file. Card holder Records with this card design will
be encoded with CCI-file linked to the card design.

E. Overview of all the card designs connected to the CCI-file.

F. X -file.

135
 G. You can bind dynamic data fields from your CCI-file to the data
Bindings tab and
selecting one of the data columns from the drop-down menu.

H. Save
G
connected to your project card designs. You are now ready to
encode your cards. Select the records connected to the correct
card design/CCI-file and click on the print button.

Note: You might need to configure your printer to perform both Encoding and Printing tasks at the same time, otherwise
PrintStudio might list your print action as failed, even though encoding did take place.

Supported standards
CardStudio Encode currently supports MIFARE Classic, MIFARE Plus and MIFARE DESFire standards.

136
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