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 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 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 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. <EOS>