March 2013

Plastic membership cards may indicate who you are, but do they pass muster if you need to prove your name, age or address?

There are a lot of situations where you are required to prove who you are such as opening a bank account, booking tickets or renting a home. There are a number of ways in which to prove you are who you say you are. These include birth certificates, driving licences and passports. But wouldn’t it be simpler to carry one plastic card that takes their place?

We’re used to carrying plastic membership cards for the gym, the DVD rental shop and the supermarket loyalty scheme, but have always reacted badly at the idea of at carrying plastic membership cards that say we’re from the UK.

The UK establishment last issued compulsory ID cards during World War II. Throughout this period, National Registration Identity Cards were required to be carried by everyone over the age of 16 and not carrying them was considered a crime. The scheme was extremely unpopular and eventually abolished in 1952.

The labour government, despite civil liberties concerns and after months of political wrangling, eventually introduced another national identity card scheme in 2008. Initially introduced as a voluntary scheme, the plan was to expand it to cover 80% of the population by 2013. After the 2010 general election, the Coalition government announced that the new plastic ID cards would be scrapped and passed a bill that cancelled out the 15,000 cards already issued.

National identity cards are already issued to the citizens of 24 countries in the European Union with only the UK, Ireland and Denmark demurring. EU citizens use their plastic cards as documents to prove their identity at home and as travel documents to move within the European Union and other non-European Union countries.

In 2012, the government proposed a new and possibly more controversial scheme to introduce another national identity scheme allowing people to use mobile phones and social media profiles for accessing on line public services. Many hope that the Identity Assurance Programme will mean an end to introducing a physical national identity card.

Plastic membership cards will, however, remain essential as company id, access passes or season tickets and with the holder’s photo and details printed thereon will also deter fraudulent use even if they can’t officially prove who you are. Why not contact our team for further details in designing your own plastic cards?

How could introducing a plastic loyalty card benefit your business?

When you’re in business you should be always looking to get one step ahead of the competition, whether you do it by a special offer, discounts, better services, new products or by the growing popular method of plastic loyalty cards. The plastic loyalty card has to be one of my favourite marketing tools for high street businesses. It is absolutely genius from a business perspective. Your customers will walk around with a plastic card with your business logo, contact details and most importantly an added incentive to shop with you.

Now you may have heard the plastic loyalty card referred to as something different, as with everything it has more than just one name. Loyalty cards are also known in different countries as reward cards, point’s cards, advantage cards and club cards – but basically they are all serve the same purpose. They are plastic cards that are branded to a specific company that customers can collect points on, and when they get a certain amount of ‘loyalty points’, they swipe their plastic card and get a nice discount or the points can be used to purchase goods from the store.

You should be familiar with this system as loyalty cards are used in nearly all major UK supermarkets, and many retail outlets are now introducing them due to their cost effective nature and good return on investment companies see.

Now loyalty cards are normally printed as a plastic card and typically look very similar to a credit card. So why not print the cards on paper and use say an ink stamp method? This method is fine if you are say a coffee shop, where the goods that you purchase are only a few pounds, but for say a supermarket, you can be spending hundreds of pounds each month there and so need a system that is reliable, durable and electronic. That is why the loyalty cards are far better quality as printed plastic cards, so that the data can be stored effectively and so they are as durable as other plastic cards, such as credit cards. Also with plastic cards, it means that they can be easily kept in a purse or wallet making them an ideal convenience for shoppers.

What you as a retailer are essentially doing is keeping your brand in front of the customer and making them an attractive offer or discount to spend with you rather than your competition. So you need to make sure that whatever you are offering is attractive enough to make the customer come back to your business time and time again. A secondary benefit of a loyalty scheme is that you begin to compile an excellent database of your customers meaning you then have more marketing opportunities at your disposal.

The loyalty card program was first introduced in the UK in the early 1980s by the large supermarket chain Sainsbury’s. Nearly 30 years on the use of the loyalty card is as popular and essential as ever. To trump the competition you need your customers walking around with plastic cards branded to your company with a good offer attached so that they keep coming back and spending with you.

Is there a right or a wrong way to present your plastic business cards? We explore some of the rules of etiquette.

The Japanese and Chinese take a ritual approach to the exchange of business cards. They are presented face up whilst bowing and with both hands placed on either side of the card like the presentation of a gift or tray. The card recipient accepts the card with both hands and a bow, studies the card and then places it in a business card holder. This small ceremony is intended to display respect.

Perhaps we don’t go to such extreme lengths in the West but there is still a right and wrong way in which to hand out plastic business cards and following the rules will improve the impression you make.

If you are a supplier, simply handing out a card without someone making a request for your details seems presumptuous and can be negatively perceived. On the other hand if you are a potential client, it’s fine to give out your plastic business cards because your contact details are important to a potential supplier.

When you are handing over your plastic cards, use your right hand or both hands, especially if you regularly travel abroad for business. In some countries, handing over a card with your left hand can be an insult.

If you’re receiving a card, accept it with the same hand with which it was given. It is also polite to take a few moments to study the card and to comment, maybe to clarify the information on it before putting it away.

When you hand out plastic business cards at a networking event, study what the recipients do with your card compared to the pile they already hold in their hand. If they don’t look at your card and put it at the bottom of the pile, they’re clearly not interested in the service you provide. If they add your card to the top of the stack after taking a moment to read it, this could suggest that there may be further potential.

Your business card is a mini-billboard on which to advertise who you are, what you do, where and how to contact you. Technology has yet to find a replacement for the business card and it remains the best way of giving someone your contact details. Why not explore our site to find out more about making the best possible impression with plastic loyalty cards and business cards.

Plastic ID cards are used in thousands of settings including businesses, clubs and schools. Not only do they protect, they also promote.

Plastic ID cards are usually issued where there is something to protect whether it be money, information, valuable data or people. The primary aim of plastic ID cards is security as they can be issued to restrict or authorise access to certain areas of a building, factory or complex.

They make it simple to tell at a glance whether someone should or should not be in the building and so eliminating the possibility of someone simply wandering in off the street whether they’re intent on theft or an irritated customer wanting to make a complaint.

Even though their primary use is in security, plastic ID cards can also foster a sense of belonging for company employees and customers. Even the most basic of plastic business cards displaying just the company logo and the cardholder’s name can work wonders.

Employees in large organisations usually spend the majority of their time communicating with each other by phone or e-mail, so a photo ID card helps team members recognise and get to know each other if they happen to meet in the canteen or corridors.

Employees can also feel that the plastic cards are being used to monitor their working patterns. To off-set this, some companies have introduced incentive schemes together with their plastic ID cards, such as giving staff discounts at local gyms or restaurants on presentation of their card. This ensures that employees are more inclined to use and wear them and in turn, promotes the business to the public.

An ID card, unlike a business card, usually features the card holder’s photo, name, job title and department and is worn attached to a cord around the neck, clipped to the belt or on a badge. As with many security systems, the ID card system can be subject to misuse and most employees are expected to sign contracts stating that they won’t share their cards and will immediately make a report if they are lost or stolen.

To design your own cards or for more information on the benefits of introducing plastic ID cards into your business, why not contact our team?

If you are considering new plastic business cards, the psychology behind plastic card printing can make or break a design.

You want your plastic business card to stand out from the crowd, it’s a mini billboard advertising what you do and where to contact you and it needs to attract attention, but not too much attention.

A business card is the lasting impression you leave with people when you are gone and so sloppily designed cluttered plastic cards won’t evoke positive thoughts about either your business or personality. On the other hand, a well thought out, neat and bold looking card will give the impression of a solid and successful business.

Some of the most important choices to make in plastic card printing are aesthetic. The typography, font-sizing and choice of font, line height, letter spacing and white space all need to be right if you want your card to make an impression.

White space, the part of the card which is the space between lines of type and around a design, is just as important as the words upon the card. Leaving plenty of white, or blank, space is generally associated with sophistication. Too little white space and it leaves the impression of a cheap design. The spacing around lines will also allow the reader to quickly assimilate the information on your card. Try not to use more than three fonts on your business cards when you’re arranging plastic card printing. The more fonts you use the harder it makes the card to read.

Deciding what to include on the card is also important. Some company business cards don’t include the name of the individual who carries it, but it can be helpful for the card recipient to have a specific person to contact, particularly in a large organisation.

Including the name of the business or the service provided in a bold, clear font makes it easier for people to read and to refer to. There is nothing worse than shuffling through a wad of business cards looking for a specific one when it doesn’t stand out. It is also common practice to include a method of contact, either phone, e-mail or web addresses whilst not forgetting to include country and area codes with phone numbers.

Consider adding a logo to your design when you’re arranging plastic card printing as an easy visual reference. A logo used consistently on business cards, letterheads, other print and electronic materials establishes a strong company identity.

Please contact our team for advice as how to leave the best impression with your plastic business cards.

Company Cards works along side a Premier League Football Club to produce first rate Season Ticket passes.

In 2010 we were delighted to be approached by a world famous Premier League football team, for whom quality on the pitch has to be matched by everything they do off it.

As they were unhappy with the standard of their existing plain white, overprinted season tickets, thousands of which are issued to fans every year, they were looking for something more robust and with greater impact – and our RFID cards were the perfect match.

These RFID cards have been created by Company Cards and are digitally printed directly on the plastic core of the card, which is then pressure laminated with PVC, protecting the print from scratching or wearing away over time. This production method ensures a high quality, full colour printed card that can also, if required, incorporate additional features such as photo identification or magnetic stripe.

The club was so delighted with the quality of the plastic cards and level of service provided that, along with production of the RFID season tickets and personalised plastic membership cards, they also asked us to assist in the accompanying fulfilment process. Because every season ticket pack sent out includes several personalised items it is absolutely essential that the correct items are sent to the correct person, and so to guarantee this we printed a unique 2D barcode on the covering letters. Positioned to be visible through the window of the envelope, the barcode was then scanned prior to the mail out in order to confirm the details of the RFID card inside. The specialist software we had written for this project enabled us to feed back daily reports to the client about the number of cards that had been encoded and verified, as well as whether any cards were missing or duplicated.

The client has been extremely impressed with the products, level of service and turnaround provided, resulting in us providing the same service for the past three years. Plans are now well underway for the 2013/14 season cards, which will begin production later the summer.