State orders passport printers from L-1

The State Department has awarded $6.3 million to L-1 Identity Solutions for passport printers.

The government expects to begin using the printers in June at mega-processing centers in Arkansas and Arizona. The mega centers are dedicated solely to printing and mailing large quantities of passports.

The center in Hot Springs, Ark., is capable of producing more than 10 million passports a year, L-1 said. The Tucson facility, which is not yet up and running, is scheduled to open this spring.

The department placed the orders through Trans Digital Technologies, a subsidiary of Stamford, Conn.-based L-1.

In related work, the company provides passport personalization for State and is the sole provider of the department’s visa issuance system. The company also provides the production platform for the Defense Department’s Common Access Card.

L-1 specializes in technology products that protect and secure personal identities and assets for government, law enforcement and border management agencies.