A cardPresso alternative for your printer, your database and your Mac
cardPresso is being retired by its maker. CleanLytics ID Badge Designer designs, prints and encodes ID cards on Windows and Mac, with the same card printers and the same databases — and every feature for one price: £175 per PC, one-off, plus VAT.
14 days with every feature. It installs alongside cardPresso, so you can compare them on your own printer.
cardPresso’s retirement dates
Its maker has replaced cardPresso with new software, ID-ALL, and published these dates. Existing cardPresso installations keep working; its maker says compatibility with future operating systems is not guaranteed.
- 30 Sep 2026Last orders for cardPresso XXS licences. After this, only blocking defects are fixed.
- 30 Sep 2027End of defect fixing.
- 30 Sep 2028Last orders for upgrades, and the end of support. cardPresso’s trade-up to ID-ALL runs until then.
Source: cardpresso.com, checked 30 October 2026.
Three ways forward
There is no rush while cardPresso still runs on your PCs — but a new PC, a new operating system or a new printer driver is a good moment to decide.
Keep cardPresso
It keeps working as it is. Fixes stop in September 2027 and support in September 2028, and a future Windows or macOS update may not be supported.
Trade up to ID-ALL
cardPresso’s successor comes in four editions, Starter to Expert. Direct connections to SQL Server, MySQL or PostgreSQL and contactless encoding are in the top edition, Expert.
Move to ID Badge Designer
One edition with every feature, £175 + VAT per PC, once, on Windows and Mac. Try it on your own printer for 14 days before you decide.
Where the features are
| You need | ID Badge Designer | ID-ALL |
|---|---|---|
| Windows and Mac | Both (Windows 10 or 11, Macs with Apple silicon) | Both |
| Magnetic stripe encoding | Included | Standard edition and up |
| Automatic photo background removal | Included | Advanced edition and up |
| Direct connection to SQL Server, MySQL or PostgreSQL | Included — read and save back | Expert edition |
| Contactless (RFID / NFC) encoding | Included, with a PC/SC reader | Expert edition |
| Editions | One — every feature, £175 + VAT per PC | Starter, Standard, Advanced, Expert |
ID-ALL editions as listed on cardpresso.com, checked 30 October 2026. ID-ALL prices are not published there; ask a cardPresso reseller.
From cardPresso in an afternoon
Your printer and its driver stay as they are. Your people come across as data; your card layout is re-created once.
Install the trial
On the same PC as cardPresso, Windows or Mac. Nothing is changed in cardPresso.
Bring your people across
If they are in a database, connect to it — SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite or ODBC — and read and save straight back to it. If they are in a spreadsheet or CSV file, import it. If they are only in cardPresso’s own database, save them to a spreadsheet first, or email us and we’ll help.
Re-create your card
ID Badge Designer cannot open cardPresso’s design files, so the layout is made again in its designer: background, logo, photo, name, ID, expiry date, barcode or QR code. Most cards take a few minutes.
Print a test card
Add your printer under Printers and print a test card, single or double-sided, through its own driver. Then print a real one.
Buy when you’re happy
£175 + VAT per PC, one-off. Everything you set up in the trial stays — designs, people and photos.
Moving from cardPresso: questions
Will it work with the printer we use with cardPresso?
If the printer has a Windows or macOS driver, it should — ID Badge Designer prints through the driver, including double-sided cards: Magicard, Zebra, Evolis, HID Fargo, Entrust Datacard, IDP, Matica and others. Print a few cards in the trial before you buy.
Can it open our cardPresso card designs?
No. Card layouts are re-created in ID Badge Designer’s designer; your people and photos come across from your database or a spreadsheet. If you’re stuck, email support@4mec.co.uk with a picture of your card.
We use a database with cardPresso. Do we have to move it?
No. ID Badge Designer connects to the same SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL or SQLite database, or to others through ODBC, and can save changes straight back to it.
Is it a subscription?
No. £175 + VAT per PC, paid once, with every feature and automatic updates.
Can it send cards to our access control system?
It connects to Paxton Net2, Gallagher Command Centre, Brivo, Verkada and Avigilon Alta through their own APIs, and to other systems through a REST API call or webhook. The supplier switches the API on, and most charge a licence for it.
Try it next to cardPresso
14 days, every feature, your own printer and your own people. Buy when you’re happy.
cardPresso and ID-ALL are trade marks of their owner. Magicard, Zebra, Evolis, HID Fargo, Entrust Datacard, IDP, Matica, Paxton and Net2, Gallagher and Command Centre, Brivo, Verkada, Avigilon Alta, Microsoft, Windows, SQL Server, Apple, Mac and macOS, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite are the trade marks of their respective owners. They are named here only to describe what CleanLytics ID Badge Designer works with and how it compares; CleanLytics is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.