Patent ID: 7931270

Claim:
A method for personalizing a plurality of security documents, said documents being redeemable for monetary value, or smart cards within a personalization installation which comprises a plurality of discrete processing stations arranged one behind the other along a longitudinal axis of the personalization installation for carrying out at least two individual personalization steps on the documents or smart cards, the method comprising: running one of the documents or smart cards through a first discrete processing station for performing a first personalization step in a first direction running transversely to the longitudinal axis; and running each of the documents or smart cards through one of second and third discrete processing stations for performing a second personalization step in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction and running transversely to the longitudinal axis, wherein all the processing stations are oriented with their run-through directions transverse to the longitudinal axis, wherein the documents or smart cards run through the discrete processing stations arranged one behind the other that are to be run through by said documents alternately in the first and second directions, and depositing each document or smart card on an input tray element in an input area of a discrete processing station and on an output tray element in an output area of a discrete processing station, wherein the input tray element and the output tray element are located outside a processing area of the discrete processing station.