How much do ID cards cost in New Zealand?
An ID card's price is more than the plastic. This guide sets out what you pay to have cards printed for you and what you pay to print your own, with worked examples in New Zealand dollars, the costs that are easy to miss, and what to ask any supplier.
Two ways to get cards, two kinds of cost
You either have your ID cards printed and delivered by a bureau, or you print them yourself on a card printer. With a bureau you pay per card, and the price per card is most of the cost. Printing your own turns the cost around: a printer and its supplies up front, software by the year, and then each card costs very little. Which is cheaper depends almost entirely on how many cards you issue in a year, and how quickly you need each one.
The prices below are CardOffice's published prices, used as a worked example because they are public. Every supplier should be able to give you the same numbers for your own volume; the checklist further down is what to ask.
Having cards printed for you
You send the names and photos, the bureau prints the cards and couriers them. What you pay is a price per card, usually lower as the order gets larger, plus delivery. Some suppliers also charge for setup, for artwork, or have a minimum order, so ask.
| Example order | Price per card | Cards | Tracked courier | Total before GST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A new starter | $15.00 | $15.00 | $12.00 | $27.00 |
| A 30-person workplace | $14.00 | $420.00 | $12.00 | $432.00 |
| A school intake of 150 | $13.00 | $1,950.00 | $12.00 | $1,962.00 |
Worked from the CardOffice price list: $15.00 a card for 1 to 24, $14.00 for 25 to 99, $13.00 for 100 to 499 and $12.50 for 500 to 999, New Zealand dollars before GST. There is no platform fee, setup charge or minimum order on that plan, and a digital ID in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet comes with every card. Add 15% GST to the totals.
Printing your own
Printing in-house means a card the same day, at the counter or the front desk. The costs come in five parts, and only the last two repeat with every card.
- A card printer. A one-off purchase. Single-sided printers cost less than double-sided ones, and encoding a magnetic stripe or chip for doors adds to the price. If you already have one, the software you choose should work with it.
- Software. Either a licence on one PC or a subscription. CardOffice's Print your own plan starts at $80 a month for up to 100 active cardholders, billed yearly, with no charge per card printed.
- Ribbons. Each ribbon prints a set number of cards, so the ribbon cost per card is easy to work out from its yield. Colour ribbons cost more per card than black.
- Blank cards. Standard CR80 PVC cards are cheap; cards with a magnetic stripe or a chip cost more.
- Time and misprints. Somebody has to take or chase the photo, print the card and hand it over. A card printed on a bad photo is a card printed twice.
Which is cheaper?
Count the cards you issue in a year, new cards and replacements together. Below roughly 70 a year, having them printed costs less than a software subscription alone, before you have bought a printer. Above that, and certainly in the hundreds, printing your own works out cheaper per card, and every card is available the same day.
Many organisations do both: print new starters and replacements on the day, and send a large intake to a bureau so the printer is not tied up for a week. With CardOffice that is one system, and the bureau order is charged at the same published price per card.
The costs that are not on the quote
- Collecting photos. A photo day costs staff time, and somebody always misses it. Asking people to upload their own photo by link removes most of that.
- Reprints from bad photos. A dark or blurred photo found after printing costs a second card. Checking each photo before it is printed is cheaper than reprinting. Our guide to ICAO photo rules covers what makes a photo usable.
- Lost and replaced cards. Decide in advance whether you charge for a replacement, and how much.
- Leavers. A card that is not handed back still looks valid. A card that can be revoked, and checked by anyone with a phone, closes that gap.
What to ask any ID card supplier
- What is the price per card at my volume, and is it before or after GST?
- What does delivery cost, and how long from order to delivery?
- Is there a setup or artwork charge, or a minimum order?
- Is the software charged per card, per PC, per user or per year?
- Will it work with the card printer I already have, or tie me to one brand?
- Is a digital ID in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet included, or extra?
- Where is my people's data held, and can I get it all back out?
Frequently asked
How much does an ID card cost in New Zealand?
Printed and delivered by CardOffice, a card costs $12.50 to $15.00 before GST depending on the size of the order, plus $12 for tracked courier per parcel. Printing your own costs less per card once you have a printer, plus a software subscription from $80 a month.
Is it cheaper to buy an ID card printer?
Only if you issue enough cards. Below roughly 70 cards a year, having them printed is cheaper than a software subscription on its own, before the printer. In the hundreds a year, printing your own is cheaper per card and gives you cards the same day.
Do the prices include GST?
No. CardOffice prices are in New Zealand dollars before GST. Add 15% for the total you pay.
How long does it take to get printed ID cards?
CardOffice prints and dispatches an order of up to 999 cards within two working days of it being submitted. The courier's one to three days, or overnight, is on top.
Is there a minimum order or setup fee?
Not with CardOffice: there is no minimum order and no setup or artwork charge. You build the card design yourself in the card designer. Other suppliers vary, so ask.
Work it out for your own numbers
Tell us how many people you issue cards to and how quickly you need them, and we will tell you plainly which route costs less, including when the answer is not us.