Category

Plastic cards

Aug 05
0

Everything You Need to Print Your Own Plastic Cards

By | News, Plastic cards | No Comments
Are you planning to print your own plastic cards or ID cards? There are many different scenarios in which you may need to print your own cards. Maybe you need the cards for school or for a small business you own. Have you been paying another company to print your ID cards for you? If so, then you probably already know how expensive this process can be. It’s also challenging to get the cards printed exactly how you want them. It can be a frustrating process if the cards turn out to be wrong or with even a small mistake. Even if you get the mistakes corrected free of cost, you will have to wait all over again to have them reprinted and mailed out.If you learn to print your own plastic cards, you can take a great deal of this stress and pressure out of the process. When you print them yourself, you can have direct control over your cards, what they look like, their size and more. If you print one and it doesn’t come out right, you can go immediately back to your machine and just try again.

Card Printer Hardware

Printing ID cards with your own card printer doesn’t have to be difficult. It connects to your computer just like your paper printer and will print out the same way except instead of printing on paper, it prints your image on plastic cards.

If you’re going to print your own plastic cards, there are certain pieces of hardware you’re going to need to do the job correctly. Here is an overview:

Ribbons

Just like your paper printer needs ink ribbons or ink cartridges, so will your card printer. Card printer ribbons are made specifically for printing on cards and will get the job done right so that you can have professional quality cards, printed right in your own home or office.

Laminates

Laminating is very important to protect the card, especially with ID cards or badges that get used on a daily basis. There are different ways of achieving lamination but one of the easiest is purchasing laminates which fit over the cards like sleeves and will protect them and make them last longer.

Cleaning Kits

Proper maintenance is very important to keep your card printer working properly and for a long time. To get the most from your machine, you will want to purchase cleaning kits to keep it operating at top performance. PVC Cards

You can purchase PVC cards for printing on. There are many different styles, colors and qualities to choose from, but you have freedom in finding the perfect ones for your needs.

These are just a few of the main pieces of card printer hardware you will need for printing your own perfect cards. However, this is not an exhaustive list and there are many other products that can make your job even easier or help you add other touches and details to your printed cards. This includes things such as holograms and more.

Benefits to Printing Your Own Plastic Cards

If you aren’t already convinced that printing your own cards is the way to go, it’s time to consider the cost benefits. Who doesn’t like to save money? So why spend more money that you have to? It just doesn’t make sense. Common sense tells you that if there is a cheaper, better way, you should act on it.

If you’re printing membership cards, ID cards or other plastic cards, printing them yourself can be faster, less expensive and easier once you learn how. Here are some of the benefits to doing it yourself:

-The cost per card is less expensive -No penalties if you only need a small number of cards at a time -You can change designs any time you want to -You don’t have to wait 2-6 weeks for your printed cards to arrive -You have quality control and can quickly fix any mistakes to your cards -You have complete control over the printing process and are not limited by a company’s policies

As you can see, the benefits clearly outweigh the cons in a case like this.

Let’s take a look at the numbers:

Full color printing through a company can cost you $0.75 – $2.00 per card and single color printing through a card printing company can cost the same. However, if you print yourself, you’re looking at $0.35 – $0.38 per card for full color printing and $0.07 – $0.08 per card for single color printing. That’s a whopping cost difference!

This is just the per-card cost savings. We haven’t even mentioned what you will save on shipping as well as the fact that you can print as much or as little as you want without any penalties. With many commercial card printing companies, you must have a minimum order (often in the thousands) or you will be charged an additional service fee. What about the person who doesn’t need thousands of cards printed at once?

But as we mentioned, it’s not all about the money. You have the benefit of complete control over your card quality, printing time and any necessary changes.

For the Small Scale Printer

If you tend to need only a small number of cards printed at once then it’s simply not cost effective for you to outsource your printing needs. If you are a small business who needs to print plastic cards for your employees, you won’t benefit from outsourcing your card printing needs either.

When you print the cards yourself with your own plastic card printer, it may take past the first couple of prints to really start to see a good return on investment, but once you do, it will be well worth it. In the long run, you can benefit financially from your own card printer and you can feel satisfied with the professional quality of each card printed.

Jul 30
0

Picard- A Cheap and Amazing Gift

By | Gift Cards | No Comments

Looking for a great and cheap way to surprise your costumers and promote your business? Picard gift card is the perfect solution for you! By giving this small beautiful card to your clients, you can be sure that they will remember you and your company for the better, and revisit your business more and more often. Unlike any other business card made of simple paper that does not last too long, Picard is made of PVC plastic and UV coating that protects the card from being damaged, and makes the card’s life last very long. The print on the card is probably in the best quality that you can find. The special thing about Picard, is that you are the designer of the card! Just enter our website and see for yourself- the process of the design is extremely simple, fast and fun. It includes uploading any image you want, adding text, and changing the colors and effects as you wish. Once completing the process of design, you will receive your gift card to the address you specified within few days only, and all for a ridiculously cheap price! Picard is, indeed, the prefect gift for any occasion and for anyone you want to give it to. You should print the details of the gift on the card, for example, a certain discount, or a present from the company. So, if you have a restaurant, you can write on the card that the gift is a fancy dinner for two. If you need any help with deciding upon a gift, please contact us and we will provide you with great ideas for a great and cheap gift to give your clients.

Jul 23
0

Printing Your Own Plastic Cards Will Save You Money

By | ID Cards | No Comments

Having your plastic identification cards made by a printing company can be very expensive. If you represent a company who is not concerned about saving money than please ignore this information. However, if you are representing a business and your success or failure depends on every dollar you can save, than hop aboard and hang on. Even if you are a student that only needs to make a few cards at a time for school, this is news you will want to hear. The bottom line is that by printing your own plastic cards you will save money.

Most of your commercial printing companies require bulk orders, sometimes up into the thousands. By printing your own cards, you have the option of printing only the amount of cards that you need. Once you learn how to make your own plastic cards, it will be easier, faster and without a doubt, less expensive. In addition, by making your own cards you avoid any penalties or fees for small orders. You will have the control over your own designs. You can change them anytime you wish with out any hassle. You will also eliminate the waiting period, which can be weeks with some companies.

You are immediately empowered with on the spot quality control when you are making your own cards. If a company makes a mistake, most of the time they will take care of the cost, but you still have to wait even longer to get your product. All of this stress can be avoided. You do not have to be tied down to other companies polices. You can control your own printing process. By making your own cards you will save an amazing amount of money on a per card basis. In addition to all of this you will not be paying shipping costs anymore.

Any business must be cost effective. Everyone wants to save money. It does not matter if you are a student or a small business owner. Make your own cards and you will get better through trial and error. In the end you will reap the rewards. It is not as hard as you might think to make your own plastic cards. You can purchase a card printer and connect it to your computer just like a paper printer. Of course you will need a card ribbon instead of a paper ribbon to ensure absolute quality. Badge software and the correct attachments to wear or carry the badge are other items you may need to have a successful badge printing setup.

If you have an eye for detail and actually feel more comfortable when you have your fingers on the controls, then making your own plastic cards is the way to go. You will get that control and save a bundle of money as well.

For additional information about id badge makers or other products for making custom badges contact an id card company who specializes in PVC badge printing.
Jul 20
0

Plastic Card Printer Basics For Business Owners

By | ID Cards | No Comments

Whether it’s for employee ID cards, customer loyalty cards or a host of other customized plastic cards, using a card printer has become common in many UK businesses.

Benefits of Plastic Card Printers

Whether it’s for an employee or a customer, card printers make short work of creating any type of card, from a plastic credit card to a plastic security card. Because the information is stored in a computer, it’s easy to create replacements for lost cards. Because the cards are issued on site, the employee or customer doesn’t have to wait for their cards.

How Does A Plastic Card Printer Work?

There are 2 basic ways to print cards: thermal transfer and dye sublimation. In the thermal transfer method, heated ink goes directly onto the cards. In the dye sublimation method, heated ink converts to a gas that permeates the cards.

Card Printer Features

Be sure the card printer can interface with whatever computer operating system you’re using. It also should have a USB port and an optional Ethernet port, so it can be used as a standalone or on a network. Card design software should be included, so you can quickly easily design everything from plastic discount cards to plastic membership cards.

Benefits of Digitally Printed Cards

The main benefit of using plastic card printers is that you’re able to create cards that seamlessly integrate text, graphics, artwork, digital photos, logos and bar codes. If you have OCR or magnetic stripe requirements, a good card printer can handle those as well.

A plastic cards printer can be a valuable and cost effective tool for UK business owners who want to save money and have full control over both the look and security of printed plastic cards.

Jul 16
0

Plastic Membership Cards For Your Business’s “Shoppers Club”

By | Membership Cards | No Comments

Customers love to feel special. Why not take advantage of this desire to create an exclusive club within your customer base? Call it what you want, this “shopper’s club” requires special plastic membership cards and offers all kinds of “members only” discounts and promotions. In this article, we’ll present some information about the benefits of a plastic membership card program in your UK business.

Get Creative with Membership Cards

Think about custom membership cards as one-on-one marketing devices. When you single out your best customers to receive plastic loyalty cards, you’re actually doing some very cost effective marketing. If you’re set up to instantly issue a custom plastic card to any customer who wants one, it’s practically certain you’ll increase both traffic and sales. The whole point is to make your customers feel special and privileged. At holiday time, everyone wants a turkey right? Well, wouldn’t you feel great if your “VIP club” card qualified you to buy a turkey at a ridiculously low price like .39 US per lb. while other customers were paying .99?

Why Not Consider Key Tags for Your Membership Program?

As long as you’re going to spend money on plastic card printing, why not include key tags as well. Key tags are as effective as plastic ID cards because they’re highly visible marketing devices. Key tags can be encoded with OCR or bar codes to make them scannable by modern cash registers. And since it’s likely for the customer to have their keys in hand while they’re checking out, it’s very easy for them to remember to present their key tag when it’s needed.

Plastic membership cards and companion key tags are great ways for business owners in the UK to create an exclusive “club” within their customer base that offers rewards and discounts to those customers who most deserve them.

Jun 21
0

Why Sam’s Club and Other Stores use Membership Cards

By | Membership Cards | No Comments

Sam’s Club stores use plastic membership cards that look and act in some ways like a credit or debit card to identify members. There are several reasons why membership cards are used for these private membership cards. At first glance, it would seem the idea of the private membership store was an idea that flies in the face of conventional retail logic. Most retail locations are obsessed with trying to attract customers to shop with them rather than with a competitor.

The truth is that the private membership store is just as interested in attracting customers as other retail stores and our using the membership concept to accomplish just that. The idea is to create an idea in the customer’s mind that such good bargains are to be found at the store that only a special and select group of consumers are going to be allowed to take advantage of them. This subtle psychological approach is telling the customer that he is going to be excluded from these advantages and bargains unless he has a membership. The plastic card is the tangible proof that the customer is going to be included and not left out. In the case of Sam’s Club, even the use of the name club creates this idea that you are either included in the club or excluded from it.

The plastic cards have another even more important and practical advantage. The vast increase in the use of tracking software in the retail industry allows stores to gather data on the shopping habits of their customers. When the card is scanned during the checkout process at the retail location, data concerning the items purchased can be entered into a data file. This file gives the retailer a detailed picture of the types of purchases made by each customer. This information in turn can be used to direct specific advertising campaigns toward the customers that are the most likely to be receptive.

Plastic card printing is an expense and it is fairly certain the retail locations that use them are getting their money’s worth from this investment. It may be in the creating of the Club idea which lets the customer feel he is on the inside and will reap benefits denied to others, or it may be in the data tracking possibilities. In either case, the plastic card that indicates membership or allows access to special discounts has gradually become more and more popular as it takes its place beside credit and debit cards in our crowded wallets.

Sam’s Club stores use plastic membership cards that look and act in some ways like a credit or debit card to identify members. There are several reasons why membership cards are used for these private membership cards. The plastic cards have another even more important and practical advantage. The vast increase in the use of tracking software in the retail industry allows stores to gather data on the shopping habits of their customers. Membership card printing is an expense and it is fairly certain the retail locations that use them are getting their money’s worth from this investment.
Jun 21
0

Plastic Membership Cards and Customer Loyalty

By | Membership Cards | No Comments

There is just something about that stores that require a membership for you to shop there. For some reason you feel connected to the store and loyal when you are a plastic card carrying member. Of course, you have to pay membership fees to actually be allowed to shop in the store, but this is not a turnoff as one might initially think. Instead, those who have membership cards to these types of stores feel special because they have the privilege of shopping at such a fine establishment. Also, these little plastic cards give members a feeling of power or popularity in a sense because all of their friends and family members will ask them to take them shopping. Now, this works to the advantage of the store and it creates customer loyalty.

The majority of stores that require a membership will allow you to apply in store and get your card the same day. That’s because they have a plastic card printing area in the back that can create your membership card in no time. This will make you feel extra special because as a member you are being taken care of so well. What does this do to the customer in turn? It serves to reinforce that customer loyalty. Membership clubs have really gotten customer loyalty down to an art and they know how to get you and keep you shopping in their stores.

Besides paying to be a member you will have to always take your card with you in order to be let in. If you don’t have your card you won’t be shopping that particular day so be sure you keep it in your wallet or in another safe place. Once you start shopping in the store you will realize that the savings you enjoy are worth paying a small membership fee. Not to mention you can buy in bulk which makes life easier all around and less shopping. Currently there are a few major chains of membership warehouse stores and they all have the basic premise. Buy in bulk, save money, and feel special because you are a member of the store. Other items are also sold in the store that aren’t bulk items including electronics, clothes, home goods, patio furniture, and the like. If you are interested in becoming a member of one of these stores all you have to do is show up, pay your membership fee, and become a member. Most of these stores will give you a guest pass for one day to try out the shopping experience and see if you really want to become a member.

There is just something about that stores that require a membership for you to shop there. For some reason you feel connected to the store and loyal when you are a plastic card carrying member. The majority of stores that require a membership will allow you to apply in store and get your card the same day. That’s because they have a plastic card printing area in the back that can create your membership card in no time.
Jun 21
0

The Two Types of Membership Cards Printing

By | Membership Cards | No Comments

At times when all people are looking for ways to save money, there are others who are enjoying the benefit of spending. These people found the advantages of having membership cards that do not just allow them to save but to earn something that they can use in the future as well.

Being a member of an establishment or partner companies can give its member variety of benefits. Aside from the recognition that a person is a part of such prestigious company, the opportunity to save, earn and take advantage of the limited promotions and exclusive access to events hosted by these companies are reasons why many people would love to have a membership card.

The membership cards come in various forms. Each card has different policies, terms of use, limitations as well as methods to earn and save. Nevertheless, despite of the differences, the objective of these membership cards only comes down to one – and that is to provide savings to its members.

Here are the two (2) common types of membership cards printing and their advantages.

1. All-in-one Membership Card. This card is normally from a company that focuses in this industry. These companies also have specific audiences – i.e. military, mothers and women, rich and famous and children, etc. This type of card normally requires membership fees and is renewed annually.

The companies that offer all-in-one membership cards have partners where their members can take pleasure of its preferred pricing. The partners are usually hotels, restaurants, travel agencies like airlines and car rentals, specialized shops and more. Members can enjoy special price on services and products as well as freebies and added surprises from these partners.

2. Membership cards that earn points. This card is normally offered by supermarkets or specialized stores to their regular customers. This type of card is usually free or given to customers when they reached the required purchase amount. The card is presented to the cashier to earn points from their consumed commodities. Then the accumulated points each time they buy can be converted into an item or equivalent cash.

For equivalent item, the member is provided by a list of items with corresponding points. Members can freely choose what item they should exchange for their accumulated points. On the other hand, the card that converts earned points into cash can be used by card holder for his/her future buys in the same store.

Now, that the world is suffering from the effects of global economic crisis, it would be better if we will take advantage of such membership cards. After all, nothing comes for FREE. What makes these cards helpful is that it gives us another way to spend our money wisely while getting an extra gift.

Plasticcardonline, INC provide membership card printing service and can fulfill all of your business needs.

May 24
0

RFID card: Radio Frequency Identification card

By | RFID card | No Comments

RFID cards have been around for many years in various forms and mostly used in access control, security and financial applications. The technology utilized was most likely proprietary to their supplier and no open systems had existed. Most of these cards used passive RFID techniques in the frequency range of 125kHz to 135kHz. These cards were considerably thicker than most common photo ID cards, much more expensive, had limited memory space and could only be read one at a time.

Most utilization of RFID cards involved “proximity”- “contact-less” cards. These cards replaced the popular contact cards that used actual metallic contacts on its surface, or embedded ferro-magnetic wires for communications. The “proximity” card applications provided a high degree of security, however the performance range of the card was typically limited to a couple of inches, at most.

During the past few years numerous standards have emerged and are currently being adopted by the RFID transponder manufacturers. ISO 14443 for “proximity” cards and ISO 15693 for “vicinity” cards, both recommend 13.56 MHz as its carrier frequency. These standards feature a thinner card, higher memory space availability and allow numerous cards in the field to be read almost simultaneously using anti-collision, bit masking and time slot protocols.

ISO 14443 proximity cards offer a maximum range of only a few inches. It is primarily utilized for financial transactions such as automatic fare collection, bank card activity and high security applications. These applications prefer a very limited range for security.

ISO 15693 vicinity cards offer a maximum usable range of out to 28 inches from a single antenna or as much as 4 feet using multiple antenna elements and a high performance reader system.

RFID Inlay
The manufacture of the card starts with the “inlay” or “foil” which contains the metallic antenna loop, silicon chip and associated components. Dynasys specializes in supporting Texas Instruments HF-I Tag-It inlays. These 13.56 MHz inlays meet ISO 15693 specifications and come in various sizes.

The PVC card itself typically meets the dimensions according to ISO 7810. An ISO card is 85.6mm long, by 54mm high, by .76mm thick.

ISO specification allows for a punchable area along the horizontal edge and a punchable area along the vertical edge without causing damage to the internally laminated RFID inlay. These punchable areas may limit the size of the inlay that can be used in the card. If the application does not require a punched hole in the card a larger inlay may be desired to attain optimum range performance.

Dynasys provides cards, laminated with various inlay sizes:

  • 22.5mm x 38mm – Miniature Rectangle
  • 35mm x 65mm – Access Control Rectangle
  • 45mm x 45mm – Square
  • 45mm x 76mm – Large Rectangle

High Performance Cards
Getting maximum range from an ISO 15693 vicinity card, referred to as an “ISO” card for short, requires the proper integration of RFID reader, RFID antenna system and choice of card inlay.

In order to obtain optimum range from a passive RFID card the largest inlay size typically offers the best range. The magnetic flux energy from the radio field of the reader induces currents in the conductors of the inlay. Typically, the larger the loop aperture of the inlay’s antenna, the more energy that is captured and usable by the tag.

The relative angle that the card is presented to the reader antenna is a major factor in the available coupling. Antenna systems can be designed for parallel or perpendicular coupling to the card. If the card presentation angle is random, every effort should be made to capture energy at various angles and positions in the field.

Consideration should be given whether the card will be used in a badge holder, mounted vertical or horizontal, with or without a lanyard, pocket clip or pin. Also, proximity to anything metallic may cause significant degradation in performance range.

Anti-collision protocols will allow multiple cards to be detected within a common field. Just how well multiple cards are handled is a function of the reader’s intelligence and the antenna’s field pattern.

Making the Right Choices
Choosing the proper components for an RFID system is far from a trivial undertaking. Many options exist for selecting the reader, antenna system, and reader software as well as choosing the optimum compatible card components.

There are numerous places to obtain technical information and get some familiarity on RFID technology. This site is a good start. We also offer numerous get-acquainted RFID kits in case you want to get some hands-on experience.

Plasticcardonline INC are expert in RFID technology and are available to you to answer any questions you may have. We will help you to design an RFID system that will work best for your application.

May 14
0

Plastic Card Personalisation

By | Plastic cards | No Comments

Magnetic Stripe Encoding

the barcode business’s card personalisation systems are able to encode a magnetic stripe. The industry will refer to hico and loco technologies. To simplify these references, a loco magnetic stripe tends to be used in low security applications, e.g. Loyalty, Membership and Retail, etc. The coercivity of this tape tends to be 300; in essence, coercivity relates to the strength of the magnetic field required to write information to the tape, therefore, the lower the coercivity the easier it is to either corrupt or re-write the information to the tape.

Any hico tape can range from 600 coercivity to 4,000, although the most common is 2,750. This tape has now been fully adopted by the banking market and is also used in the majority of access control applications. It should be noted that the higher the coercivity, the more expensive the magnetic tape.

Regardless of the magnetic tape specification, the encoding capacities remain the same. Each ISO card will contain three tracks of information and the specification and capabilities of these is summarised as below.

Smart Card Encoding

the barcode business use systems that are capable of encoding a smart card. The capacities offered by these systems are subject to :

  1. The card personalisation option.
  2. The amount of data to be encoded to the module.

We either inkjet print up to 2 lines of personalisation, thermally print or emboss a smart card. As an average, the Mühlbauer inkjet and chip initialisation systems will yield approximately 3,500 per hour, therefore offering a capacity in excess of 1 million cards per month. Should the thermal printing option be preferred, reduced capacities are available providing a yield of approximately 60,000 cards per month.

Embossing

Embossing is the raised characters found on all credit cards. Whilst it is possible to emboss a card outside of ISO specifications (please see below template), it is recommended that clients conform to those positions summarised below.

You will note that the embossing positions are situated at the bottom of the card. There are two reasons for this, firstly, most plastic cards have a signature panel of some kind which tends to be positioned to the centre of the card on the reverse. If a card was to be embossed within this area, obviously the functionality of the signature panel would be compromised due to the “denting”. Also, it is unlikely for the card to be embossed in the top half due to the likelihood of a magnetic stripe being positioned to the card reverse.

Secondly, should embossed characters be positioned within this area, it would prevent the magnetic stripe from being encoded, or subsequently read. If a card has neither a magnetic stripe nor a signature panel, it is possible with some machines to emboss up to 11 lines to the face of the card. However, the ISO standard is for up to 4 lines of simplex characters and 1 line of OCR characters to be printed. Embossing restricts the customer to only 2 font types.

A maximum of 27 simplex characters can be personalised in 1 line, and a maximum of 19 OCR characters can be printed in one line. It is not possible to print text using the OCR fonts, although the simplex characters can print either numerals or text.

All embossed characters can be tipped in different coloured foils. The most common are gold, silver, black and white, although rare, it is possible to tip the embossed characters in alternative colours.

It is not possible to emboss both sides of the card.

Inkjet Printing

Inkjet printing is a high-speed economical method of card personalisation. All characters are printed in black to the flush surface of a card.

It is possible to inkjet any TT (true type) font in any size font onto the card using the latest video jet and Domino technology. The disadvantage with inkjet printing is that the characters can appear slightly ragged in comparison to those offered by thermal printing. Inkjet systems can yield up to 20,000 cards per hour, therefore, providing a monthly capacity in excess of 8 million. Regardless of the amount of information that is required to be personalised on the card, the machine throughput is constant.

Thermal Printing

Thermal printing offers a high level of quality for flat surface printing. Unlike inkjet printing, the characters are clearly printed and can (using different ribbons) print high quality photographic images. Thermal characters can be printed in colours other than black, including gold, silver, white, blue and red. The disadvantage with thermal printing is that it is slower and more expensive.

It should be noted that card throughput is reduced when additional lines of information are printed.