Card-Online

Environmentally Friendly Cards: BareFoot Cards

2011-04-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about BareFoot Cards? A new line of eco-friendly plastic cards that offer both a green solution for your business applications and high quality cards.

BareFoot Blank White Cards are made using a minimum of 25% post consumer recycled PVC content and yet they deliver optimum graphic print quality.

To read more about BareFoot Cards head on over to their visit:

www.qualityblankwhitecards.com

Specialty Product: Safety Lanyards

2011-04-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

Workplace and personal safety is always an important issue that we must all be concerned with. That is why we wanted to let you know about our safety lanyards and other products.

We offer a variety of reflective lanyards that also glow in the dark. Great for employees that will be outdoors throughout the early morning or late night.

We also offer elastic arm bands – this works as an alternative to lanyards. Employees can attach their IDs onto this arm band to avoid having anything hanging from their necks – which can be an issue when working with machinery.

If you any concerns on how to create a safe working environment for your employees give us a call at 305-260-6743 to speak with one of our ID specialists.

Selecting the right ID printer

2011-03-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

I know we covered this a few months ago – but we always get plenty of questions regarding this topic.

Selecting the right card printer is an important task – you want to get something that fits your needs. For companies / individuals planning on printing few cards in monochrome or those seeking to personalize a high amount of cards will need different printers that have different price ranges.

Here are some questions you should review before making your purchase.

1. Will you be printing color ID cards?
Most of the printers that we offer here at Card-Online come with the option of monochrome (single color) or full color. Think about which option is best for you and remember to keep your future needs in consideration.

2. How many cards do you plan to print?
Each printer varies in printing speed and capacity which means you must think about the output you will need. Are you planning on only printing a few cards a day? Or do you need a machine to print fast and large quantities on a daily basis? If planning on a large volume then a printer with a input hopper would be important, if large quantities will not be your situation then a printer with a manual feed will work well.

3. Single sided printers versus dual sided printers.
Will your ID cards only need printing on one side or will you need information printed on the back of the card as well? Single sided printers will only print on one side of your plastic card leaving the back blank. If you have the need to include information on the back of the card then a dual sided printer is the best choice for you.

4. What encoding options will you need?
For increased security and personalization reasons some ID cards have magnetic stripe or smart card encoding. If you will need one of these options you will need to look into the type of encoding that will be necessary. Will you need just one feature or both of them? These encoding features are additional features that you must request for when making your order.

5. Need more ID card security?
Other features such as lamination are available. If you feel that your ID cards need extra security to avoid duplication and fraud look into features that will help prevent this. To learn more about special security features feel free to contact one of our ID printer specialists at 305-260-6743.

6. What technical features do you need?
When selecting an ID printer it is important to know some of the technical details such as the driver and interface that the ID printer is compatible with. Most ID printers come with a USB interface and Ethernet is available when requested. It is also important to know if the ID printer supports the operating system you work with – whether it is Microsoft Window or Mac (only few ID printers are Mac compatible).

For more information or questions that you may have give us a call at 305-260-6743 or email us at info@card-online.com

BareFoot Cards – Premium Quality Cards

2011-02-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for a way to go green with your plastic card printing? Then we suggest you head on over to BareFoot Cards and see what all the buzz is about.

BareFoot Cards is company that has given companies the option of going green without an additional cost. They offer premium quality blank white cards made from a minimum of 25% post consumer recycled PVC.

All their cards are packaged in packs of 500 to reduce the amount of shrink wrap foil and in recycled cardboard sleeves.

To learn more about BareFoot Cards visit their website at www.qualityblankwhitecards.com

And remember “Together, our commitment as individuals can magnify the choices that each of us makes.”

Awareness Products

2011-01-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

A little something that many of you may not be aware of is our line of awareness products. We offer a variety of lanyards and products that proudly wear an awareness ribbon on it.

We have lanyards that represent breast cancer awareness, AIDS awareness, and many more.

Where can you find these producst? Just click on lanyards and then select “Awareness Products” on the left hand menu.

Can’t find them? Well then just give us a call at 305-260-6743 and one of our specialists would be glad to help!

Temporary solutions for your visitors

2010-12-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Are you faced with the issue of how to control the visitors coming in and out of your building? Well Card-Online has a great solution that could help manage this is an effective and low cost method.

With TIME Badges you can quickly create a name tag (either by hand or printed) that has a time activated sticker that will change color after the visitor’s time is up. You can select from the “Half Day” or “Full Day” option.

This great solution will help increase the safety of the building and all the individuals in it. If a visitor that was meant to be there only half day is walking around with an expired badge it will be an easy thing to catch – and who doesn’t want to increase security?

If you are interested in learning more about TIME Badges feel free to contact one of our Card-Online specialists at 305-260-6743.

Printing IDs in-house vs. Outsourcing

2010-10-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

In any office – IDs are of extreme important. Whether you provide your employees with simple pictures IDs or IDs that will grant them access to different parts of the building someone needs to print them. So why not do it yourself?

Many times companies feel that printing their own IDs will be time consuming and costly when in fact it is as easy as using a traditional printer. A local medium sized company located in Miami, FL decided to stop outsourcing their ID printing and purchased the easy to use SunLight K3 from Card-Online.

Before purchasing the ID printer, every time some lost their ID, they hired new employees, or need to change the access for an employee they would have to wait about a week to receive the new ID. Now with the SunLight K3 they can quickly and easily print IDs when needed.

Not only do they instantly print IDs in-house but they are saving about $100 a month once they stopped outsourcing IDs! And Card-Online is now their one stop shop where they directly purchase the ribbons, cards and lanyards.

For more information on how printing IDs in-house can save money and time give us at call at 305-260-6743.

Make your cards last longer with ID carriers!

2010-10-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Plastic cards are made to last long and withstand the wear and tear of daily use but scratches and fading will always occur at some point. To avoid this issue Card-Online has a great solution that will help protect your plastic card – whether it is an ID, credit card, membership card, or any other type of plastic card.

If you browse through our website you would see the many options that we offer – from soft to rigid plastic covers for your cards! Not sure which one works better for you? Well then give us a call at 305-260-6743 so one of our plastic card solution specialists can help you find the proper plastic card carrier.

The importance about breakaway lanyards

2010-09-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

At Card-Online we sell many different types of lanyards - from thin lanyards to earth friendly to personalized - but when it comes to safety the best choice is our “break away lanyard”.

These lanyards are great for environments with lots of movement and/or machinery. For example, if kids will be wearing these lanyards then we suggest sticking with the “break away lanyard”. These lanyards when pulled are easily snapped off the individual’s neck to avoid injury. It is also great for a work environment that consists of constantly moving machines which could easily get tangled.

For more information regarding our “break away lanyards” feel fee to send us an email at info@card-online.com or call us at 305-260-6743.

Plastic Card 101: Part 3 Specialty Plastic Cards

2010-09-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

We are now on the final segment of Plastic Card 101. Today we will cover specialty plastic cards and what solutions they can provide.

Adhesive PVC Cards: The front of this card is just like a standard blank PVC card. The card comes with a paper back that is peeled off and can be stuck to various surfaces. These cards are usually stuck onto Promixty cards when used as IDs to avoid throwing out the Proximity card when ID information changes.

Great for: calendar cards, business cards, ID cards

Colored Cards: Just like blank PVC cards colored cards come in a variety of colors. These cards also come with a magnetic stripe. Some colors that we offer are blue, orange, green, yellow and much more!

Great for: gift cards, business cards, membership cards

Security Overlays for Cards: Need to make company IDs more secure? Then take a look at our security overlays for plastic cards. The security overlay is not a card, it is a sticker (with a hologram image) that is to be placed on the card once printed. This is a great solution for increasing security and avoiding fraudulent card copies.

Great for: ID cards, access cards, and VIP cards

We hope you have enjoyed our 3 part segment with plastic card information. And if there are any topics that you would like for us to cover feel free to send us an email at info@card-online.com.

Plastic Card 101: Part 2 Keeping it earth friendly

2010-09-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hi there and welcome to week 2 of Plastic Card 101. This week we are going to give you some options that are less damaging to the environment. What I like best about these earth friendly cards is that quality and durability are not compromised. We have 3 great options: Corn cards, recycled cards, and biodegradable cards.

Corn Cards: It virtually looks and feel like a traditional card with the added bonus of containing no PVC. These cards are made from corn and helps support US Farmers and reduce our dependency on foreign oil and labor. Corn cards are available with or without a magnetic stripe.

Great for: gift cards, business cards, VIP cards

Recycled Cards: Want to be part of saving the environment? Well then consider our line of earth friendly cards. Our recycled cards are created from 100% recycled plastic while still having the same quality and durability as a traditional PVC card.

Great for: earth conscious businesses and organizations

Biodegradable Cards: The biodegradable cards are made out of non-toxic materials that are completely biodegradable. These cards are just as long lasting and durable as a traditional PVC card. Cards will only being to decompose if left in soil, water or compost for over 9 months.

Great for: discount cards, membership cards, loyalty cards

Stay tuned for next week’s Plastic Card 101 segment. And don't forget that all these cards being discussed can be purchase directly from www.card-online.com.

Plastic Card 101: Starting off with the basics

2010-09-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Last week we prepared a small FAQ regarding how to select the right plastic card printer that will fulfill all your present and future needs. Well this week we are starting the Plastic Card 101 session and will be discussing the plastic cards we offer and uses for these cards. This week we will cover the 3 basic cards that we offer:

Standard Blank PVC Card: These are plain cards that are great for printing on both sides. These cards are cheaper than all the other cards because no information can be encoded directly onto the card. If some type of information needs to be retrieved but you are on a tight budget – then printing a barcode is a great alternative that works just on standard blank PVC cards.

Great for: business cards, VIP cards, and loyalty cards.

Lo-Co Magnetic Stripe: Perfect for securely encoding information onto your plastic card onto its magnetic stripe.

Great for: membership cards, discount cards, and gift cards

Hi-Co Magnetic Stripe: These plastic cards have all the same benefits as a Lo-Co magnetic stripe plus an added benefit. The stripe has a more powerful magnetic field which basically means that they are longer lasting compared to the Lo-Co magnetic stripe.

Great for: credit cards, access keys, and gift cards

Next week we will go over some options that are friendly for the environment and still as dependable as a traditional card.

How to select the right ID printer

2010-08-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here at Card-Online we extended our ID card printer line. We are now offering ID printers by Datacard, Fargo, Evolis, and Magicard in addition to the SunLight K3 and the Cimage K10.

To help you in your purchase of the right ID printer for you we listed a few questions that you need to consider when selecting an ID printer that will fulfill all your needs.

1. Will you be printing color ID cards?
Most of the printers that we offer here at Card-Online come with the option of monochrome (single color) or full color. Think about which option is best for you and remember to keep your future needs in consideration.

2. How many cards do you plan to print?
Each printer varies in printing speed and capacity which means you must think about the output you will need. Are you planning on only printing a few cards a day? Or do you need a machine to print fast and large quantities on a daily basis? If planning on a large volume then a printer with a input hopper would be important, if large quantities will not be your situation then a printer with a manual feed will work well.

3. Single sided printers versus dual sided printers.
Will your ID cards only need printing on one side or will you need information printed on the back of the card as well? Single sided printers will only print on one side of your plastic card leaving the back blank. If you have the need to include information on the back of the card then a dual sided printer is the best choice for you.

4. What encoding options will you need?
For increased security and personalization reasons some ID cards have magnetic stripe or smart card encoding. If you will need one of these options you will need to look into the type of encoding that will be necessary. Will you need just one feature or both of them? These encoding features are additional features that you must request for when making your order.

5. Need more ID card security?
Other features such as lamination are available. If you feel that your ID cards need extra security to avoid duplication and fraud look into features that will help prevent this. To learn more about special security features feel free to contact one of our ID printer specialists at 305-260-6743.

6. What technical features do you need?
When selecting an ID printer it is important to know some of the technical details such as the driver and interface that the ID printer is compatible with. Most ID printers come with a USB interface and Ethernet is available when requested. It is also important to know if the ID printer supports the operating system you work with – whether it is Microsoft Window or Mac (only few ID printers are Mac compatible).

Protect your plastic cards

2010-08-13T13:03:00.001-07:00

The everyday wear and tear of your all the plastic cards in your wallet start to fade out the image and becomes all starched – to avoid this we offer plastic card protectors. This is a thin plastic that will help avoid the deterioration of your plastic cards.

This is great for the employees at the office, VIP cards for your clients, and school ID cards due to the importance of the information to be legible. The best part is that right now we are having a clearance sale on some plastic card protectors. So why not stock some up for the office, classroom, or for your customers?

Call us now for more information at 305-260-6743.

Keeping your gaming card near

2010-08-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

The days of using coins and dollar bills at a casino are practically over. Every casino you visit nowadays offers plastic cards that carry your money. This is a great feature because it avoids you having to carry lots of cash that can fall out of your purse or wallet. But how do casinos help you avoid losing the money card? Simple solution – a coil cord. Casinos are now all using these cords so that the money card is attached on you.

Many people sit for long periods of time at the same machine and may get up and leave without retrieving their card from the slot. With the coil cord that risk is eliminated because the card is always attached to you.

For other simple solutions like this visit us at www.card-online.com.

The Many Uses of Personalized Lanyards

2010-08-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Lanyards are used by many on a daily basis – some use it for the office ID, to hang your keys or flash drive. On Card-Online we are happy to announce the “Design-A-Lanyard” tool that is available for everyone to use!

You can personalize lanyards for the office to give a more professional look by all employees using the same color lanyard with your company name or logo.

Personalized lanyards are also great for giveaways! It is a great promotional tool that will help create exposure to your company and brand. Some of our customers have personalized their lanyards to pass out at tradeshows or as freebie when they place an order. However you use them it is sure that you will stand out from the crowd.

If interested visit our Design-A-Lanyard section on Card-Online to begin the process. If you would like to talk to someone about the process of creating your own lanyards contact us at 305-260-6743.

Earth-friendly – does it really make a difference?

2010-07-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

These days every where you look you are bound to find products that are “green friendly” or “earth friendly” and we may wonder if it would really make a difference.
Well here at Card-Online we believe that it does make a difference. The more people that take part in purchasing products that do not harm our planet, then the well being of our planet with increase. That is why we offer an extensive line of earth friendly cards and ID accessories.

Some of our earth friendly products consist of:

Corn cards
Bamboo lanyards
P.E.T. lanyards
PureClear™ badge holders
And much more!

Going earth friendly shouldn’t be seen as a fad – it should be thought of as a lifestyle that will help improve our life and the planet we live in. So why not be part of this change and start making a difference.

For more information regarding our earth friendly product line call one of our ID specialists to further assist you at 305-260-6743.

Creating a secure workplace

2010-07-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

The office is a place where most of us spend a large part of our week in. For a minimum of 40 hours we are at our desk and for some reason we never really put much thought to how secure our work environment is.

Whether you work in an office with many individuals that walk in and out all day or in a small office with 10 or less employees, security should always be a priority and it does not need to cost you much money.

Increasing security at the office is a simple task that comes with many benefits such as safety for your employees, prevention of loss of inventory and confidential documents, and more.

It is as simple as purchasing a desktop id printer so you can provide picture IDs to all your employees and even for visitors. Our printers also come with encoding options so you can add contact/contactless or magnetic stripe features so employees will have to swipe their card to be granted access to certain areas of the office.

This is a great tool because you will be able to know at what time employees enter or exit certain areas of the building. You can even restrict access during certain times of the day or to certain employees.

Call one of our ID specialists to further assist you at 305-260-6743.

Also check out our website at www.card-online.com for our extensive line of lanyards and other ID accessories that will go great with your IDs!

A New Card-Online.com

2010-07-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new Card-Online blog! Here at Card-Online we decided to start up this blog to keep you up to date with all of our specials, updates on our ID printers and just keep you up to date with all the latest ID accessories that we have available.

And with the introduction of our new blog we would also like to introduce our new and improved website at http://www.card-online.com/

You can now browse our entire line of lanyards, ID badges and clips, plastic cards and other ID accessories – and the best part of it all is that you can directly purchase all of your ID accessories directly from our website!

We also give you the option to personalize your lanyards with any message you want it to say! Need lanyards for a corporate event or for all your employees at the office and want to add your company information then check out our easy to use “Design-A-Lanyard” page on http://www.card-online.com/

If you have any questions on how to make a purchase, personalizing lanyards or anything else feel free to call us at 305-260-6743 to speak with one of our ID specialists to further assist you.