The Challenge
Action Ambulance Services provides 24-hour emergency and non-emergency medical services to
the people of Eastern Massachusetts from 13 different locations. The identification cards worn
by emergency personnel face challenging conditions, not only from temperature extremes and
inclement weather, but also from bodily fluids, including blood, of patients being treated.
Twelve years ago, the organization began using ID cards for employee identification, but its printer
was not able to laminate the cards, nor was it fast enough to keep up with the growing business.
Mike Woronka, now Chief Executive Officer of Action Ambulance Services, was responsible for
bringing the first ID card printer to the organization. He realized it was time for an upgrade of both
the hardware and the software.
“The environment in which our staff is working makes lamination a necessity,” he said. “Because
I had dealt with the previous printer, I had enough background and technical knowledge to be
involved in the selection of a new printer.”
In addition to printing its own ID cards, Action Ambulance Services also prints photo ID cards
for other government entities involved in collaborative efforts with the organization. “After 9/11,
security became a gigantic issue,” Woronka said. “We work hand-in-hand with agencies north of
Boston, including the military, Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Secret Service, local government agencies and the Massachusetts state police. We
issue ID cards to their representatives to give them access in and out of our Emergency Operation
Center at events such as the 2004 Democratic National Convention held in Boston.”
In addition, Action Ambulance Services uses its ID cards as a means of marketing itself to the
community. “We are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, and
we are involved with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program,” said Woronka. “We want
people to know this.” The cards also carry the organization’s key strategic objectives, as well as
phone numbers to hospitals so emergency personnel can talk with physicians en route, if necessary.
Woronka’s challenge was to find a printer that provided lamination, high quality printing and
quick turnaround. He also wanted a printer that could run off of the company’s existing computer
network. A further requirement was an intuitive user interface that encouraged swift adoption by
the ambulance drivers.

Solution Found
An Internet search put Woronka in touch with the FARGO HDP5000 Card Printer/
Encoder. “Mike was looking for a laminating printer with dual-sided printing capabilities,”. “He also wanted a printer that could grow with Action Ambulance Services’ needs, perhaps including RFID and proximity cards some day.”
“RFID is where we are heading, but not right now,” said Woronka. “With the HDP5000, we can add
that feature some day. That was a key factor for us. The printer’s modular design enables easy
upgrades to card encoding technologies when Action Ambulance Services is ready.”
Customer case study
Top Reasons Why Action Ambulance Services Chose FARGO® Printers
For This Project
• Lamination capabilities for greater card durability
• Fast speed for quick turnaround
• Easy set up and use; plug and play capabilities
• Outstanding print quality and detail for optimum images

“Another important feature was the quality and detail of the printing,” he added. “The HDP5000
was outstanding compared to our previous printer.” Action Ambulance Services originally had
2,500 names in its database. Now, it prints about 5,000 cards every year. “This isn’t real high
volume,” said Woronka. “We are never ‘oh my goodness’ crazy, so one printer can easily handle
the quantity.”
Woronka also liked the plug-and-play capabilities of the HDP5000. “If the printer had been too
technical for us, that might have presented an obstacle,” he said. “As it is, we realize we can
grow into its capabilities easily.” The cards are being printed by the organization’s Graphic Arts
Department located in central operations.

Results
Action Ambulance Services now laminates its cards to protect them from external elements, as
well as from conditions unique to the job of emergency personnel. “With the HDP5000, we are
able to process photo ID cards more quickly than in the past,” added Woronka. “The turnaround
time has decreased significantly, and we can recreate lost ID cards faster. Internal customer
satisfaction has increased as a result.”
Woronka’s background helped him choose the right ID card printer for his applications. “I knew what I
was getting into,” he said. “The biggest project was converting our old database. The printer
was able to tie into our old database just fine. After that, it was just plug and play.”

Australian school photo business uses Fargo® printers for variety of ID card products

The Challenge
School administrators have a variety of needs when it comes to their ID card programs. For some,
simple security is the most important function and they use ID cards for visual identification of
students, staff and visitors. Others need more sophisticated support, including access to dorms,
facilities and equipment. Still others use photo ID Card Printers systems to automate and combine several
school operations, giving students the ability to check out library books or equipment, gain access
to student activities, use school computers or simplify registration. Schools that provide ID cards
with debit functions also enable students to use their photo ID cards for vending machine, laundry
and cafeteria payments.
Academy Photography, which was the first Australian school photo business to go completely
digital, has been in business since 1988, providing educational institutions with student and
faculty ID cards, in addition to school photos, for more than 15 years. Today, it provides ID cards
for more than 200 schools.
Tracking student movements in and out of school is the most important function requested by
customers of Academy Photography. “ID cards enable schools to analyze usage and improve
efficiency, as well as keep track of students for better education outcomes,” said Noel Cordell,
Card Bureau Manager. This helps to reduce truancy. Schools also use ID cards to pay for
concession fares on public transport, to pay for photocopies, to borrow books and to verify arrival
at school.

Solution Found
Academy Photography provides a card bureau, a small office with three work stations and a
dedicated staff who operate three Fargo Persona® card printers and one Fargo DTC1000 High
Definition Card Printer/Encoder. The DTC1000 features reverse image technology in which the
printer prints images directly onto special film that is then fused onto the surface of a blank card
through heat and pressure.
Cordell was instrumental in selecting the current Fargo equipment, although Academy had been
using Fargo printers for years, long before his arrival in 2005. “The features most important to us
were high quality prints, low waste and fast printing,” he said. “The DTC1000 also offers us the
ability to print and encode smart cards in the future.”
While most of Academy’s clients currently use either barcodes or magnetic stripe technology,
the company chose the Fargo DTC1000 to be ready for future requests. Fargo developed High Definition
Printing to go hand in hand with the growth of technology-rich smart cards. Often, the embedded
electronics in these high-security cards cause irregularities on the card’s surface, making them
difficult to print. Because the printhead of the DTC1000 does not print directly onto the card
surface, image quality is unaffected by a card’s surface irregularities.
ID cards not only provide convenience and security for students and faculty, but they also save
time for office staff who input attendance details and process roll calls. Academy provides
images formatted on a CD ROM as well as in hard copy reports for school records. These reports
provide information in instant real-time, and they are tailored to each school’s desired manner of
capturing and reporting attendance.

Academy Photography
Top Reasons Why Academy Photography Chose Fargo Printers
• High quality cards in keeping with Academy’s image
• Low waste to save money
• Speed of printing to meet customer requirements
• Ability to print and encode smart cards in future applications

Results
Academy Photography provides a variety of options for its clients. “Sometimes the school buys
the cards, sometimes the students do, and other times we provide them for free,” said Cordell.
Free ID cards? “We provide ID cards free to many schools as a value addition to our primary
product, school photos,” he added. Often, Academy’s student and faculty photos can be used for
the cards, thus requiring only one photo session and saving the school resources. Because cards
are produced in Academy’s printing laboratory, schools receive replacement cards quickly and
economically.
“ID cards allow users the convenience of remote identity verification,” said Cordell. Student and
faculty enjoy the benefits of ID cards produced by Academy.