Abstract: A drop-on-demand plastic card printer includes a tray disposed underneath the plastic card during drop-on-demand printing to catch any overspray that may occur during printing on the plastic card. The tray may be disposable so that the tray is intended to be removed and disposed of. An ink absorbent pad can be disposed in the tray to absorb the oversprayed ink. The ink absorbent pad can be disposed of along with the tray or disposed of separately from the tray.

Abstract: A method of delivering a one-time password to an entity is provided. The entity requesting the one-time password provides a public key of a public-private key pair to the authentication service. The entity can then submit a challenge request to the authentication service. The authentication service will generate a one-time password, and encrypt the one-time password with the public key. The encrypted one-time password is delivered to the entity via an unauthenticated channel.

Abstract: Thermal printing on plastic cards where the energization of each individually energizable heating element of a thermal printhead is adjusted based on a temperature of the thermal printhead and a density of the pixel to be printed. For each pixel, the printhead temperature and the pixel density of a pixel to be printed are used to adjust the strobe pulse length that energizes the heating element to print that pixel. By compensating for both printhead temperature and pixel density, a tighter tolerance of the resulting printed densities is achieved.

Abstract: Root certificates generated by root certificate authorities may be bound at the time of generation. In an example, a first root certificate can include an identity of a first root certificate authority, a first key identifier associated with a first key of the first root certificate authority and an identity of a first digital signature algorithm used by the first root certificate authority. The first root certificate can also include at least one extension including a second key identifier of a second key associated with the second root certificate authority and an identity of a second digital signature algorithm used by the second root certificate authority, the second digital signature algorithm being different from the first digital signature algorithm.

Abstract: Content, such as an encryption key, may be transmitted between computing systems that both use more than one encryption algorithm. Secrets may be used to encode the content. The different encryption algorithms may be used to separately encrypt the encoded content and the secrets prior to communicating the encrypted, encoded content and encrypted secrets between computing systems.

Abstract: A material that is curable by radiation is applied over or included in colored material on non-printed machined characters formed on a plastic card. After applying the colored material and the radiation curable material to the machined characters, radiation is used to cure the radiation curable material. The colored material has improved durability due to the radiation cured material.

Abstract: A DOD print station has at least one DOD print head that applies radiation curable material, to a surface of an identification document. A curing station is adjacent to the DOD print station. The curing station includes at least one radiation emitting device, for example a UV light emitting device, that cures the radiation curable material applied to the surface. The curing station is configured to prevent stray radiation emitted from the radiation emitting device from impinging on the DOD print head(s) and prevent exposure to the operator of the DOD print station.

Abstract: Methods and systems of actively cooling a card while the card is within a card processing machine are described. One or more cooling stations are provided within the card processing machine to actively cool the card prior to performing a processing operation, during a processing operation, and/or after a processing operation on the card in order to reduce a temperature of the surface of the card.

Abstract: A card/carrier combination sorter system is described that is configured for use with a card/carrier combination production system. The sorter system includes an input that is in communication with an output of the production system so as to receive a plurality of card/carrier combinations one-by-one from the production system. The sorter system is configured to sort the plurality of card/carrier combinations into one or more bins of the sorter system. In some embodiments, a card/carrier combination is not diverted and is instead output through an output of the sorter system to an inserter system for insertion into an envelope and subsequent mailing.

Abstract: Methods and systems for remote, asynchronous key entry and extraction are provided. A credential device can store a first key thereon, and can store an encrypted key component. A hardware security module manages a key template including a plurality of key components. The hardware security module manages a complementary key to the first key. The key component on the credential device can be encrypted with the first key for storage on the credential device and decrypted by the complementary key at the hardware security module. Alternately, the key component can be encrypted with the complementary key and provided to the credential device for decryption at a secure system via the first key. Accordingly, a key custodian may supply or extract a key component at a hardware security module remotely and at a time convenient to that key custodian.

Abstract: A printing mechanism of a plastic card retransfer printer includes a platen roller with a homing mechanism attached thereto that automatically returns the platen roller to the same home position at the end of each printing pass. The homing mechanism ensures that the portion of the retransfer film being printed on travels over the same surfaces of the platen roller in each print pass. Therefore, any variations in the surface of the platen roller will manifest themselves at the same locations on the resulting printing on the retransfer film.

Abstract: An ink bottle is mounted in a DOD printer with the ink bottle acting as an ink supply reservoir that supplies ink to a DOD print head. A unique cap is provided that is configured to be affixed to an end of the ink bottle via threads or the like. The cap can be provided with one or more mechanical keying features used to limit mounting of the cap and the bottle assembly to a correct receiver in the DOD printer. The cap can also be provided with a valve controlled ink passage that allows ink to flow out of the bottle through the cap and a valve controlled vent passage that allows air to enter the bottle through the cap.

Abstract: A heated indenter is provided for indenting a personalized document to create a security impression thereon. The personalized document includes but is not limited to, identification cards, driver's licenses, credit and debit cards, and the like. The security impression can provide a visible or tactile security feature that can be recognized by one with little or no training. The security impression causes a laminate layer of the document to tear or disfigure when attempting to remove the laminate layer from a substrate of the document.

Abstract: Techniques are described herein that mitigate warpage during laser marking on a plastic security document. A method of laser marking a feature onto a plastic card includes electronically dividing an image of the feature into a plurality of sections. The method includes laser marking a first one of the sections on the document and laser marking a second one of the sections on the document. The first section is not contiguous with the second section.

Abstract: Security features used on identification documents such as plastic cards and passport pages are described. The security features include a textured portion that is formed on a portion of the surface of the identification document using a laser. The security features can also include a printed portion and/or a laser marked portion. The printed portion (if present) can be formed above or beneath the textured portion. The laser marked portion (if present) is formed within the thickness of the identification document below the textured portion. The textured portion and the printed portion and/or the laser marked portion can be in congruence with one another to form the security feature.

Abstract: Methods and systems for managing a digital wallet are described, including registration of payment cards and use of such payment cards. The digital wallet may be integrated into a mobile application provided by a card issuer, with the digital wallet providing integration between the mobile application and a payment service provider that provides token-based payment systems for implementing virtual cards.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing cryptographic tokens within a hardware security module are disclosed. A parent cryptographic token contains a plurality of parent cryptographic objects, and a child cryptographic token contains a plurality of child cryptographic objects. The child cryptographic token is associated with the parent cryptographic token. A session established with the child token provides access to at least some of the plurality of child cryptographic objects and at least some the plurality of parent cryptographic objects.

Abstract: Techniques for scrambling residual images left behind on print ribbons due to printing on plastic cards or passports. A string of characters to be printed onto a plastic card is divided into character subsets. Metadata is assigned to each character subset, with the metadata defining the print sequence and location on the plastic card of each character subset. The character subsets are then printed on the plastic card in the sequence and the locations determined by the metadata. The sequence of characters in a residual image left on the print ribbon after printing of the character string differs from the sequence of the characters in the character string printed on the plastic card or passport.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for printing vibrant grey color(s) on plastic cards. The following features, which can be used individually or in any combination thereof, can be implemented to achieve the vibrant grey color(s): 1) use of CMYK pigment inks to achieve CMYK printing; 2) a pixel extraction process and/or a print trapping process; 3) two separate print commands including a CMY (or CMYK)+blending print command and a K+blending print command; and 4) proper card set-up.

Abstract: A desktop plastic card printer that is configured to allow installation of a smart card cartridge within an interior space of the printer housing through an opening, for example an opening in a side wall, in the printer housing. Both the mechanical installation and electrical installation of the smart card cartridge occurs via the opening. This allows the desktop plastic card printer to be quickly and easily retrofitted to have the ability to electronically read data from and/or electronically program data on an integrated circuit chip of a plastic card. The retrofitting can take place without using any mechanical tools and without having to remove the entire, or a substantial portion of, the printer housing.