Types of Cards You’ll Need to Know About From a PVC Card Manufacturer

While PVC may bring to mind pipes and construction, it is a popular synthetic polymer for printing ID cards. Whether you’re a pvc card manufacturer or looking to get started, there are several different types of cards that you’ll need to know about.

For starters, there are the standard image grade PVC cards that all ID printer manufacturers, such as Fargo, Evolis, Zebra, Datacard and Magicard, make.

Image Grade

Whether you need a card for your employees or customers, a pvc card manufacturer can provide a variety of options to meet your needs. These cards can come in a wide range of colors and thicknesses to meet your specific application needs. You can also choose to have your card printed in monochrome or full color. Some pvc cards are laminated with a holograph overlay (laminate film) at the end of the print process, which adds another layer of security. You can also choose a retransfer printer to ensure that your card is readable and doesn’t warp when the card is being used for a long period of time.

The most common type of pvc card is image grade. These cards are compatible with most standard ID card printers and are available in a range of sizes from key-tags to CR80. These cards are ideal for displaying your company’s logo and information on employee badges. They are also a great choice for event passes or advertising purposes since they are thicker than card stock and durable enough to be handled in a wide range of conditions.

Another popular type of pvc card is composite. This card is made of a blend of PVC and polyester, making it more durable than regular 30 mil PVC cards. These cards are also a great option for retransfer printers as they avoid the heat from the retransfer printer that can cause standard image grade PVC to warp or break down. Additionally, composite cards are resistant to cracking and bending in cold climates where PVC may not hold up as well. They can also be coated with a special surface to improve dye receptivity and prolong the life of your cards.

Credit Card Size

PVC cards are made from polyvinyl chloride, which is a type of plastic that can last longer than other types of card materials. They can be used for a variety of purposes, such as ID cards, business cards, membership cards, and credit cards. These cards can be printed using different methods, including digital printers and offset printers.

Pvc cards can be a great option for businesses because they are durable and can hold information without getting worn out quickly. They also do not break easily, and are resistant to water damage. These features make them a good choice for businesses that want to ensure that their customers’ identities are kept secure.

CR80 sized cards are the most common type of PVC card, and they measure 2.13′′ x 3.38′′ (54mm x 86mm). They have a thickness of 30 mils and work in any desktop ID card printer.

CR100 sized cards are 3′′ x 2.63′′ (86mm x 97mm) and are 42% larger than standard CR80 cards, making them harder to hide in a wallet. They’re great for a more noticeable credential that’s easier to read from a distance, and they can be custom-printed with photos, graphics, and text. They are compatible with most pvc card printers. However, they are not compatible with many magnetic stripe or bar code readers, so it’s important to check the manufacturer’s specifications before ordering these types of cards. Additionally, they can be printed in a wide variety of colors and are available in a range of thicknesses.

Composite

Composite ID cards, also called PVC-PET (polyvinyl chloride/polyester) cards, combine multiple layers of plastic to add advanced features and combat counterfeiters. They’re ideal for organizations that regularly use ID cards to provide access to facilities and secure data.

The type of card stock you choose depends on how you plan to print the cards, and there are many different options available. Regardless of the type of card stock you use, you should ensure that it will perform well in your printing method.

For example, if you use a dye sublimation printer to print the cards, then you need a composite card that will be compatible with your machine. Alternatively, if you pvc card manufacturer use a re-transfer printer, then you need a standard card that can stand up to the heat from the printhead during the process.

A composite card combines approximately 70% PVC and 30% polyester, creating a more durable card that is more likely to withstand repeated uses and extreme temperatures. It’s also less susceptible to warping and distortion, which can occur when using a standard PVC card in a re-transfer or laminating machine.

CR80 video grade composite cards are an excellent choice for direct-to-card printing with all of the major ID badge printers. These cards feature a high-quality, durable printing surface that allows your ID card printer to produce vivid images and text.

This high-quality composite card is made from a 60/40 blend of PVC and polyester, providing durability that’s ideal for IDs printed in retransfer and laminating machines. The card has a 30 mil thickness and a magnetic stripe that makes it easy to securely encode customized data.

These composite cards are the preferred choice for premium ID card printing applications that require more durability than a standard PVC card. They are highly resistant to melting or cracking from the heat of sun or rain and are delamination-resistant for lamination.

This card is ideal for those who want to make high-quality employee ID cards, student IDs, membership cards, and visitor cards. It’s available in a variety of sizes, colors, and thicknesses.

Magnetic Stripe

Magnetic stripe cards are made of tiny iron-based magnetic particles in a plastic-like film. The stripe stores data and is swiped past a reader that makes it readable by a computer program.

MoreRFID produces a range of magnetic cards that are suitable for a variety of applications. These include credit cards, public transport transit cards, driving license cards, staff ID cards, gift cards, hotel rooms door cards and many others.

Card manufacturers can customize the magnetic stripe of their cards. They can choose the color of the track and can even cover it with a hidden design. This option allows them to have full creative control and can also be used for loyalty programs and access control.

This type of card is ideal for organizations that want to equip their ID programs with cashless payment, access control and time and attendance features. It is a versatile and secure solution that is compatible with all standard card printers.

A card is manufactured using a special technique that allows it to be laminated with a hidden magnetic stripe that can pvc card manufacturer be designed as a wide stripe or a custom color. These options allow card manufacturers to create cards that have a unique look and feel and can be printed quickly for high volume printing needs.

Depending on their application, magstripe cards are available in LoCo (Low Coercivity) and HiCo (High Coercivity). The former is preferred for gifts or cards that are not scanned frequently and can be erased easily, while the latter is preferred for gift and access cards that need to be more durable and resistant to damage from magnets and magnetic fields.

The magnetic stripe on a card is encoded using a low-intensity magnet field of 300 Oersted. It is a low-energy signal that can be read with a scanner or a card reader, and it contains 79 alphanumeric characters with 210bpi encoding density.

The magnetic stripe on a card is typically colored black or brown, though it can be customized to match the organization’s colors or logo. It can also be colored in Pantone(r) matched colors to create an even more eye-catching design.