A card processing system, comprising: a card input that is configured to hold a plurality of plastic cards to be processed, the plastic cards are of the type that bear personalized data unique to the intended cardholder; a drop-on-demand card printer downstream from the card input and receiving plastic cards that are input from the card input, the drop-on-demand card printer includes at least one drop-on-demand print head, wherein the drop-on-demand card printer is configured to print with UV curable ink; a UV cure station for curing the UV curable ink applied to the plastic cards; a controller connected to the drop-on-demand card printer and that automatically controls the operation thereof, the controller is programmed to automatically perform each of the following on the at least one drop-on-demand print head: a) a shake pulse routine that energizes nozzles of the at least one drop-on-demand print head without causing an ejection of the UV curable ink from the nozzles and that is performed at a first frequency while the print head is not in use; b) a spit routine that energizes the nozzles to cause an ejection of the UV curable ink and that is performed at a second frequency that is less than the first frequency; and c) a purge routine (46, 70) where vacuum pressure holding the UV curable ink in the nozzles is reversed to push ink out of the nozzles, and the purge routine is performed at a third frequency that is less than the second frequency. a card input that is configured to hold a plurality of plastic cards to be processed, the plastic cards are of the type that bear personalized data unique to the intended cardholder; a drop-on-demand card printer downstream from the card input and receiving plastic cards that are input from the card input, the drop-on-demand card printer includes at least one drop-on-demand print head, wherein the drop-on-demand card printer is configured to print with UV curable ink; a UV cure station for curing the UV curable ink applied to the plastic cards; a controller connected to the drop-on-demand card printer and that automatically controls the operation thereof, the controller is programmed to automatically perform each of the following on the at least one drop-on-demand print head: a) a shake pulse routine that energizes nozzles of the at least one drop-on-demand print head without causing an ejection of the UV curable ink from the nozzles and that is performed at a first frequency while the print head is not in use; b) a spit routine that energizes the nozzles to cause an ejection of the UV curable ink and that is performed at a second frequency that is less than the first frequency; and c) a purge routine (46, 70) where vacuum pressure holding the UV curable ink in the nozzles is reversed to push ink out of the nozzles, and the purge routine is performed at a third frequency that is less than the second frequency. a) a shake pulse routine that energizes nozzles of the at least one drop-on-demand print head without causing an ejection of the UV curable ink from the nozzles and that is performed at a first frequency while the print head is not in use; b) a spit routine that energizes the nozzles to cause an ejection of the UV curable ink and that is performed at a second frequency that is less than the first frequency; and c) a purge routine (46, 70) where vacuum pressure holding the UV curable ink in the nozzles is reversed to push ink out of the nozzles, and the purge routine is performed at a third frequency that is less than the second frequency.