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Enable and Configure Magnetic Stripe

The Magnetic Stripe element enables printers to encode data onto the magnetic stripe on a card. To configure magnetic stripe encoding and printer, add the Magnetic Stripe field, configure the properties, then connect fields on the enrollment form to the magnetic stripe tracks.

Preparation Notes:

  • Check the magnetic stripe specifications of the card stock.
  • Determine which fields on the credential you want to write to the magnetic stripe.
  • Refer to Magnetic Stripe Field Properties to better understand the requirements for the magnetic stripe track types.
  • Configuring Magnetic Stripe requires the Advanced bundle or any higher-tier bundle (Professional or Enterprise). If you do not have one of these bundles, contact your Service Provider.

Add and Configure the Magnetic Stripe Field​

Follow these steps to add and configure the Magnetic Stripe field on the credential design. Then, follow the steps in Connect Fields to Magnetic Stripe Tracks to connect the magnetic stripe tracks to fields on the enrollment form.

  1. Create a new credential design or open an existing credential design.

  2. Select the Black layer Black Layer from the menu on the left.

  3. Select the Back radio button ![](/img/issuanceHelp/issuance/credential design back radio button.png) on the top-right.

  4. Click on the Magnetic Stripe Magnetic Stripe Field field.

  5. Click on the credential design to add the field to the back of the card.

  6. Enter a name for the field in the Name field.

  7. Adjust the Height of the field on the credential design to match the magnetic stripe on the card stock. The width of the field must extend the entire width of the credential design.

  8. Position the Magnetic Stripe field on the credential design to match the placement of the magnetic stripe on the card stock. Enter values in the Left and Top fields or manually move the Magnetic Stripe field on the credential.

  9. Configure magnetic stripe tracks for IAT track types.

    1. Select IAT as the Track Type.
    2. From the Coercivity list, select High or Low.
    3. Select ASCII Hex Format for any track that will contain ASCII-hex characters.

    For more information on the requirements for magnetic stripe tracks, refer to Magnetic Stripe Field Properties.

  10. Click Save Save.

  11. Click Generate Enrollment to generate a new enrollment. Instant ID as a service updates the enrollment design with the new fields on the credential design.

Connect Fields to Magnetic Stripe Tracks​

Connect the fields of an Enrollment Design to the magnetic stripe tracks.

  1. From the Main Menu Main Menu Icon, click Enrollment Designs. The Enrollment Designs page opens.
  2. Select Field ConnectionsField Connections to edit the field connections for that enrollment design. The Field Connections page opens.
  3. From the Source list, select Credential Design.
  4. From the Credential Design list, select the Credential Design with the desired Magnetic Stripe Field to encode with enrollment data.
  5. Select field(s) in the Credential Design column to connect to the magnetic stripe field(s) in the Enrollment Design column.  
  6. Click Save.

To modify the connections after saving, click Reset.