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Magicard Prima 8 Dual-Sided ID Card Printer — Magnetic Stripe + Contactless Encoding

Magicard Prima 8 Dual-Sided ID Card Printer — Magnetic Stripe + Contactless Encoding

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Overview

Professional credentials, printed at your desk

The Magicard Prima 8 is a dual-sided reverse-transfer (retransfer) ID card printer built for high-security, high-durability credentials. It prints your image onto clear film and fuses it over the entire card surface — true over-the-edge, photo-quality printing that excels on smart, contactless, and composite technology cards where direct-to-card printers struggle. It automatically prints the front and back of each card at 300 dpi and about 100 full-color cards per hour, with USB and Ethernet standard.

Security is built in: Standard and Custom HoloKote watermarks (up to 10 designs), UV inline printing, optional clear or holographic over-lamination, Zero Latent Data erase, Threat Benchmarking, and a logical printer lock as standard. The Prima 8 is FIPS 201 compliant and on the GSA Approved Product List, and it’s backed by a 3-year MagiCover Plus warranty with a hot-swap loaner.

This configuration includes factory-fitted a magnetic stripe encoder (Hi-Co/Lo-Co, ISO 7811) and contactless smart card encoding (MIFARE, DESFire, iCLASS).

This is a printer-only purchase; ribbons, blank cards, and cleaning supplies are sold separately — see Complete your setup and Compatible Supplies for the matches recommended for this configuration.

Reference

Consumables

A complete list of compatible consumables for the Magicard Prima 8. Click any part number for details.

Part NumberDescription and Yield
Prima831 Magicard PRIMA831 Ribbon & Film Kit, 1,000 Prints
Prima833 Magicard PRIMA833 Color Ribbon, 750 Prints
PRIMA834 Magicard UV Color Ribbon, 750 Prints
Prima436 Magicard PRIMA436 Retransfer Film, 1,000 Prints
Part NumberDescription
SPID-8670-WHITE Specialist ID Composite PVC/PET Cards, CR-80 30mil
082137 HID FARGO UltraCard Composite HiCo Mag (500)
Part NumberDescription
E9887 Magicard Cleaning Kit for the Magicard Prima 8 ID Card Printer
The detail

Technical Specifications

Print method
Reverse-transfer (retransfer) dye-sublimation, printed over the edge of the card
Resolution
300 dpi (optional 600 dpi model available)
Print sides
Dual-sided (automatically prints the card front and back)
Print speed, color
Up to 100 full-color cards per hour (single-sided, including the retransfer step)
Card capacity
100-card input hopper, 70-card output stacker (optional 200-card input)
Accepted card sizes
CR80
Card materials and thickness
PVC, composite PVC/PET, ABS, PET, and polycarbonate; 0.25 mm to 1.02 mm (10 to 40 mil)
Security
Standard and Custom HoloKote watermark (up to 10 custom designs); UV (ultraviolet) inline printing; clear and holographic over-laminates via the optional inline laminator; Zero Latent Data erase; Threat Benchmarking; logical printer lock fitted as standard; FIPS 201 compliant and on the GSA Approved Product List
Encoding
Magnetic stripe (Hi-Co/Lo-Co, ISO 7811) and contact and contactless smart card encoding (contact chip; MIFARE, DESFire, iCLASS), factory-configured, including combined magnetic + smart — add it under Complete your setup.
Connectivity
USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed / Full-Speed) and Ethernet (10/100), both standard
Lamination
Optional inline laminator (single- or double-sided), connected via infrared
Operating systems
Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7 and Windows Server; macOS (300 dpi model)
Dimensions
13.5 in W x 12.6 in H x 13 in D (343 x 320 x 330 mm)
Weight
34.1 lb (15.5 kg)
Warranty
3-year MagiCover Plus (250,000-panel; hot-swap loaner printer; optional 1-year UltraCover extension)
Made in
United Kingdom
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Compatible Supplies

Genuine Magicard ribbons and supplies matched to the Magicard Prima 8.

Downloads

Documents & Resources

Questions & answers

Frequently asked questions

What is reverse-transfer printing, and why does the Prima 8 use it?
Reverse-transfer (retransfer) prints your image onto a clear film first, then fuses that film onto the card. It gives true over-the-edge, photo-quality printing and works beautifully on technology cards (smart, contactless, composite, and polycarbonate) where direct-to-card printers can struggle.
Can it print on both sides of a card?
Yes — choose the single-sided or dual-sided Prima 8 above. The two are separate factory configurations, so pick the one you need.
What encoding options are available?
Contact and contactless smart card encoding (contact chip; MIFARE, DESFire, iCLASS) is available on both models, and magnetic stripe encoding (Hi-Co/Lo-Co, ISO 7811) on the dual-sided model, including combined magnetic + smart. Encoders are factory-configured, so add the one you need under Complete your setup and we'll build it in.
What security features does the Prima 8 have?
A lot: Standard and up to 10 Custom HoloKote watermarks, UV (ultraviolet) inline printing, clear and holographic over-laminates (with the optional inline laminator), Zero Latent Data erase, Threat Benchmarking, and a logical printer lock as standard. It's FIPS 201 compliant and on the GSA Approved Product List.
Can I add lamination?
Yes. An inline laminator (single-sided Prima Laminator Uno or double-sided Prima Laminator Duo) connects to the printer via infrared and applies clear or holographic over-laminates for tamper resistance and durability. Add it under Complete your setup.
What film does it use, and how many cards does it print?
It uses a Magicard Prima 8 YMCK dye film paired with retransfer film (the PRIMA831 kit, 1,000 images), plus YMCKK (PRIMA833) and YMCK-UV (PRIMA834) options. Every compatible film is listed above.
What cards work with it?
CR80 cards in PVC, composite PVC/PET, ABS, PET, and polycarbonate, 0.25–1.02 mm (10–40 mil). Reverse-transfer is ideal for smart, contactless, and composite technology cards. Compatible blank cards are listed in the Compatible Supplies section above.
What warranty does it include, and is Specialist ID an authorized dealer?
The Prima 8 carries a 3-year MagiCover Plus warranty with a hot-swap loaner printer, plus an optional 1-year UltraCover extension. Specialist ID is an authorized Magicard dealer, so your printer, supplies, and warranty are backed by Magicard.