May 2013

Giving your plastic cards that personal touch makes a difference. If you need a plastic card printing how can you personalise it?

The continued evolution in printing technologies means that it’s now even easier to personalise your cards. From plastic business cards through to loyalty and membership cards, adding that personal touch can mean all the difference to your customers.

Everyone likes to feel that they belong and that they are part of a wider community. Linking them together through an identity or membership card is a great way of achieving this. By using personalised plastic card printing technologies you can show your customers or employees that they’re important to your organisation.

Holding a personalised card also makes the card itself feel more important to the user and means that they are more likely to keep it. If your business uses loyalty cards for customers, then sending out a generic version may not appeal to the recipient. Instead of using it on a regular basis and instilling a sense of loyalty into the user, it might be simply discarded.

How you choose to personalise your cards will depend upon whether they’re printed in one batch or on-demand and how secure and durable you require them to be.

One press personalisation includes all the personal details as part of the artwork and prints off a completed card. This means that the text is secure behind the PVC laminate finish, which stops the details from rubbing off. This technique can be used for both text and photos and the durability of the finished result makes it a good choice for ID cards.

If you choose to have your plastic card printing handled in a batch, then you could use embossing as required to personalise the cards. In this way the details are punched onto the reverse of the card and the details form on the front. The data is then tipped with gold, silver or black to stand out. This is widely used on credit and debit cards and even can be used to include details in Braille.

Another personalisation technique for finished cards is thermal print. The text, bar codes or graphics are printed directly onto the existing card.

Whatever type of plastic cards you require, at Company Cards we’ve got a solution for you. If you have a specific plastic card printing requirement, one of our team will be happy to discuss how we can help.

Technology may be taking over some aspects of business but plastic business cards are still useful. How can plastic cards benefit you?

Even with today’s ubiquitous digital technology, there’s still a place in the business world for plastic business cards. Whatever industry you’re in, they are an important marketing tool that can help you win new business.

You may do much of your work online, but this may not necessarily be how your clients have found you. Networking events are still an effective way in which to develop relationships and you need to be able to provide your contact information on demand. The easiest way of achieving this is with a business card. Attendees can meet with a significant number of businesses at these events and it’s not always easy to remember everyone afterwards. By handing them a memorable card they’re more likely to use your services or recommend them to someone else.

Plastic business cards can help in providing your company with a professional image. Handing over a well designed, high quality plastic card will cement the image you’ve portrayed. Conversely, simply writing your details on a scrap of paper will make potential clients view you in a whole different light. A card is also of benefit when they come to look for your details, as they can easily be found with the rest of their business cards, rather than searching for that piece of paper or an email.

Using business cards also enhances your brand and connects the plastic cards with the rest of your marketing materials. The design of your card needs to be memorable to ensure that it is instantly recognisable and stands out from the crowd. One new trend regarding business card design is to have your photograph printed on the card along with your contact details. This may help your contact to remember you if they met hundreds of people at an event. Another popular option is to have your plastic business card printed on a frosted plastic, this new style of card is very eye catching and will certainly help your card to stand out from the pack.

In sharp contrast with new technology, including smartphones, business cards remain one of the easiest networking tools to use. If someone asks for your details, it is quick and easy to pull a business card out and hand it over. There is no need to ensure that your devices are compatible and wait for the data to be sent over. A business card will not thus become a victim of technology problems and there is no risk of the data being wiped or corrupted.

Company Cards offers a range of solutions from plastic business cards through to plastic loyalty cards. To discuss your requirements please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our team.

What should be included on your plastic ID cards? Follow these top tips and you’ll create functional plastic cards for your business.

Businesses today require more security features than ever before. Even in the smallest of offices you need to verify your identity and have security access. In utilising personalised plastic ID cards, your employees will be able to go freely about the building without compromising security levels.

One of the main advantages of having these plastic business cards is that they can be encoded to create additional security features. Depending on your requirements they can include a magnetic stripe, bar code or even a hologram or RFID technology for more secure facilities. There is also the facility with today’s plastic ID cards to create different security levels for employees, allowing some access to certain areas but not others.

The encoded plastic cards can hold a substantial amount of information, far more than can be displayed on the face of the card. When it comes to the visual design of the card you will need to carefully consider what you want to include. Otherwise there might be important details that are missed off and it would be costly to have to re-print the entire batch. The information you include plays an important role in not only quickly identifying the member of staff, but in allowing them access to facilities.

If you require ID cards that are harder to copy then plastic versions are ideal. In contrast with paper cards, plastic technology requires a special printer and a specific design. The photo and text are part of the overall card design and are printed directly onto the plastic, significantly reducing the risk of fraudulent use.

Plastic ID cards are also far more durable than the paper alternatives. The plastic will last for many years without deteriorating in quality, meaning you will save money by not having to replace cards quite as often. They can be punched and attached to badges or lanyards making them easily visible and usable. Alternatively, if they’re not used quite as often, they will easily fit into pockets or wallets without impairing their quality.

It is easy to see why plastic is becoming an ever more popular choice for ID cards. At Company Cards we’re experts in creating plastic ID cards. If you have any questions or require a quote please don’t hesitate to contact us.