Students Receive ID Cards in Only 1 Minute at Southern California’s Cypress College
31 October, 2002
category: Biometrics, Education
Once a student registers at the North Orange County Community CollegeDistrict’s Cypress College, his or her student card is ready a short one
minute later. From that point on, the Cypress College student will use that
ID card as identification on campus, as a check ID at the student bookstore,
to enter laboratories and even to check out books at the library. A
two-year transfer school, Cypress College is composed of twelve major
instructional buildings, located on a 110-acre site. With a student
population of 15,000, providing on-demand identification badges is not a
task to be taken lightly.
“Our previous card printer broke down constantly, about every dozen cards,”
remembers Sara Hogg, Cypress College Senior Staff in the Student Activities
Office. “We wanted speed plus card clarity from a printer and found it last
year in our Zebra Eltron(r) P310.
Since the cards are printed so fast, both
students and staff are very happy that we’ve greatly reduced the wait time
for registration.”
The P310 prints sharp, readable bar codes, ID photos, graphics and text,
edge-to-edge, in seconds. Its easy-to-load, low maintenance design makes it
simple for anyone to operate. Green, yellow and red LED indicators provide
easy-to-understand printer status. Printer ribbon synchronization is
automatic, eliminating the need for operator intervention. An easy to
change, self-cleaning cartridge thoroughly removes dust before printing,
minimizing missing dots and color registration problems.
The standard plastic cards issued by Cypress College feature a photo ID and
barcode at the bottom. Throughout the campus, such as at the Administration
Building, the badges are used by students to prove they are attending the
school. When cashing a check at the student bookstore, the photo ID card
verifies their student standing.
The barcode comes into play at laboratories and the library. As the student
approaches a lab, a technician, professor or advisor asks the student to
present their card and have it scanned by a bar code reader. Upon
verification that the cardholder is authorized for this facility, the
student then enters the lab.
At the library, the procedure is similar. Once scanned, information on the
student’s use of the library is immediately presented on a computer monitor,
telling the librarian what books are presently checked out, which have been
returned and if the student has good standing.
“We have six people who make up our Photo ID staff,” Hogg reports. “It took
me about ten minutes to learn and memorize the printer functions. To train
staff takes no more than 15 minutes. The printer has been fast, efficient,
reliable and is very reasonably priced.”
Zebra Eltron-1001 Flynn Road-Camarillo, Calif. 93012-8706-Phone
805.579.1800-website www.eltroncards.com
For more information, contact Leslie Brigham at 818-716-9021; email
[email protected].
Contact: Sara Hogg, Senior Staff – Student Activities Office
Cypress College
Phone: 714-484-7198
Email: [email protected]