The Hidden Cost of Delayed Employee ID Card Printing in Malaysia

🪪 Your Employee Has Started. Where's Their ID Card?

A new employee arrives for their first day.

HR has completed the onboarding paperwork.

Their email account is ready.

Their workstation is prepared.

But there's one problem:

Their employee ID card isn't ready.

If your company outsources ID card printing, HR may need to:

📄 Prepare employee information
📤 Send the details to the printing company
⏳ Wait for production
🚚 Wait for delivery
🪪 Finally issue the card

For one employee, this might be manageable.

But what happens when you're onboarding 20, 50 or 100 employees?

⚠️ Why Delayed ID Card Printing Can Become a Business Problem

Employee ID cards aren't only about appearance.

Depending on the organisation, they may be used for:

🔐 Access control
👤 Employee identification
🏢 Building security
🍽️ Staff facilities
⏱️ Attendance systems
📋 Internal verification

When cards aren't ready on time, employees may have to rely on temporary arrangements.

That can create unnecessary work for HR and administration teams.

👥 New Employee Onboarding Is Already Busy

HR teams already have plenty to handle when a new employee joins.

They may need to arrange:

💻 Laptop / workstation

📧 Email account

🔑 System access

📄 Employment documents

🏢 Office access

🪪 Employee ID card

The ID card may seem like a small part of the process.

But if it depends on another company to print and deliver it, it introduces another waiting point into the onboarding process.

🚨 What Happens When an Employee Loses Their ID Card?

This is another common problem.

An employee walks into HR:

"I lost my staff ID card."

Now HR needs to arrange a replacement.

If cards are outsourced, the process could involve another round of:

Request → Design → Printing → Delivery → Replacement

The employee may have to wait while the replacement is being produced.

With an in-house card printer, the organisation has the option to produce replacement cards internally when required.

🖨️ Print Employee ID Cards In-House

This is where an Evolis ID card printer can make a difference.

Instead of sending every card request to an external printing company, organisations can produce cards internally.

The process can be much simpler:

Employee details prepared

↓

ID card design

↓

Print with Evolis

↓

Issue to employee

This gives HR and administration teams more control over the printing process.

⏱️ What About Urgent Requests?

Not every ID card request happens according to schedule.

You may suddenly have:

👤 A new employee joining

🪪 A lost card

🔄 A damaged card

🏢 An employee transferring departments

✏️ Incorrect information on an existing card

📸 An updated employee photo

These situations can be difficult when your printing process depends entirely on an external supplier.

An in-house printer gives businesses more flexibility to handle these requests when they happen.

💰 Is Outsourcing Really Cheaper?

Outsourcing can appear cheaper because you don't need to purchase and maintain a card printer.

But the actual cost of ID card printing isn't always just the price per card.

Businesses should also consider:

⏳ Waiting time

🚚 Delivery costs

📦 Minimum order quantities

🔄 Reprint costs

👥 Administrative coordination

🚨 Urgent replacement requests

📅 Supplier lead times

For organisations that print cards frequently, these indirect costs can add up.

That's why businesses should look at the total cost and operational impact, not just the price of one printed card.

🏢 When Does In-House Printing Make More Sense?

There's no single answer for every company.

But in-house printing may be worth considering if your organisation:

✔ Regularly hires new employees

✔ Has a large workforce

✔ Frequently replaces lost cards

✔ Has multiple branches

✔ Needs cards quickly

✔ Changes employee information regularly

✔ Requires consistent card designs

✔ Wants more control over card issuance

The more frequently you need cards, the more valuable internal printing flexibility can become.

🎨 Keep Every Employee Card Consistent

Another advantage of printing internally is greater control over your company's ID card design.

Your organisation can maintain consistent:

🏢 Company branding

🎨 Colours

📸 Employee photo layout

🔢 Employee information

🔳 QR codes / barcodes

🔐 Security elements

This helps ensure that every employee receives a card that follows the same corporate identity.

🔐 ID Cards Can Support More Than Identification

Depending on the card technology and the organisation's systems, employee cards can potentially support:

Employee Identification

🪪 Show who the employee is.

Access Control

🔐 Support authorised access to controlled areas.

Time & Attendance

⏱️ Work with compatible attendance systems.

Digital Verification

🔳 QR codes or barcodes can support identification or verification workflows.

Smart Card Applications

💳 Cards with embedded technologies can support compatible systems.

The appropriate setup depends on the organisation's requirements and existing infrastructure.

📊 Don't Forget the ID Management Process

Printing is only one part of employee ID management.

A complete workflow should consider:

Employee Joins

↓

Employee information recorded

↓

Photo & card details prepared

↓

ID card printed

↓

Card issued

↓

Employee transfers / information changes

↓

Card updated

↓

Employee leaves

↓

Card deactivated / collected according to company policy

The printer handles the physical card production, while your organisation's ID management process controls what happens before and after printing.

🇲🇾 Why Malaysian Businesses Should Look at the Whole Process

For Malaysian companies with growing workforces, employee ID card printing can become a recurring administrative task.

The question isn't simply:

"How much does one card cost?"

A better question is:

"How much does our entire ID card process cost in time, money and administration?"

When you consider printing, delivery, waiting time, replacements and urgent requests together, the business case for in-house printing may become much clearer.

💡 When Should You Consider Bringing ID Printing In-House?

Ask yourself:

Do we regularly print employee cards?

Do HR teams wait for external printing?

Do employees wait for replacement cards?

Do we frequently need urgent reprints?

Do we have multiple locations or departments?

If you answered yes to several of these questions, an in-house ID card printer could be worth evaluating.

🚀 Take Control of Your Employee ID Card Printing

A professional employee ID card process shouldn't become a bottleneck for HR.

With an Evolis card printer, Malaysian businesses can bring card printing closer to their HR and administration teams, giving them greater flexibility to print new, replacement or updated employee cards when needed.

👉 Click the link below to explore Evolis ID card printing solutions in Malaysia.
https://www.alcaidc.com/public/productbranddetail.aspx?brand=evolis

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it cheaper to print employee ID cards in-house?

It depends on the organisation's card volume, card materials, equipment, labour and current outsourcing costs. Businesses should compare the total cost of both approaches rather than only the per-card price.

2. How long does outsourced ID card printing take?

Lead times depend on the external printing provider, order quantity, card design and delivery arrangements. Urgent replacements may also require additional coordination.

3. Can companies print replacement staff ID cards in-house?

Yes. An in-house Evolis printer allows organisations to produce replacement cards internally when required.

4. Can Evolis printers print cards for new employees?

Yes. Evolis card printers are designed for producing plastic identification cards and can be used for employee ID cards, depending on the organisation's card design and application.

5. Can employee ID cards include QR codes or barcodes?

Yes. QR codes and barcodes can be incorporated into card designs for compatible identification or verification applications.

📥 Explore More:

Download our company brochure to discover solutions for:

Evolis ID Card Printers
Employee ID Cards
Access Control
Visitor Management
ID Management
Smart Card Solutions
Corporate Security

Download the ALC Tech Solutions Brochure:
https://www.alcaidc.com/Public/Brochure/BrochureSolution.aspx

By: kavi | Date: 28 Aug2026

News Listing » Article ID: 42020

The Hidden Cost of Delayed Employee ID Card Printing in Malaysia