Plastic Card 101: Part 3 Specialty Plastic Cards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.