An ink jet card printer is disclosed that includes an ink jet printhead and a transport mechanism. The ink jet printhead is adapted to print on portions of a surface of a card that are presented in a print position along a print path. The transport mechanism includes at least one cantilevering mechanism that is positioned to a side of the print position along the print path. The cantilevering mechanism is adapted to unobstructively present the surface of the card to the printhead in the print position.