This prestigious award was approved by Her Majesty the Queen following a recommendation from Tony Blair. The award was formally presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset on the 19th of July 2007.

Ultra was chosen to receive the award because of its innovation in developing the Magicard Alto, Opera, and Tempo low cost ID card printers which enable the production of full colour plastic ID cards or badges without specialist training. These printers use innovative electronic and plastics technology to reduce the cost of printing and to bring the technology within the reach of schools, clubs, and small businesses for the first time.

"We have been developing and manufacturing thermal transfer printers for over 20 years, and this is our third Queen's award. Initially the technology was developed for military applications, but now it can be used by anybody who needs a secure way to prove their identity. I am particularly pleased that our latest entry-level printers have been recognized in this way, because our design teams have been very innovative in their use of plastic mouldings, opening up high quality, low cost ID badging to many more small organizations around the world" comments Ray Coles, managing director, Ultra Electronics.