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Open Your Wallet Plastic Card Challenge.

wallet filled with membership cards

Open your wallet and see the potential offered by plastic cards with Swype.

In our increasingly affluent world, it seems that everything is disposable, doesn’t it? Less than a century ago, a popular phrase was “make do and mend” and it is a common complaint that the modern world and the ease with which new replacements can be obtained for almost any product or service seem to have created a single use, throw-away attitude.

Ironically, given the part that the impact of plastic manufacturing has had on this culture, here at Swype we would like to draw your attention to a remarkable phenomenon – people do not throw away plastic cards. 

There seems to be something about a plastic card that instils a feeling of value in the mind of the person who holds it. Whether it’s the resemblance to a credit card or the feel of a quality material, all our experience seems to suggest that people of palpable more reluctant to dispose of a plastic card. After a cursory glance a person will generally discard a paper voucher, leaflet or brochure; on the other hand plastic alternatives don’t seem to find their way into the bin. With this realisation, the opportunity is brought clearly into focus – a plastic card acts as an ‘advert in a wallet’; a regular reminder of available products and services from a trusted source.

We challenge you to take the plastic card challenge! Open your wallet or purse and count how many plastic cards you are carrying around with you each day. Credit cards, reward cards, library cards, identity cards and plastic loyalty cards, they are all there!

On average people carry around 7 plastic cards every day and many admit to having many more, retained at home, for ready access.

Armed with this information a growing number of businesses and associations are waking up the potential improvement in advertising reach and penetration – using the plastic card in a number of hitherto unexplored avenues. From plastic business cards to contact cards or plastic promotional cards; from loyalty cards to club IDs, not only do our plastic card solutions have a greater chance of been retained by the client, they also reflect your quality business profile, making a greater impression and maximising the chances of future, repeat engagement with your goods and services.

Plastic Membership Cards can help Boost Leisure Facilities Usage

woman s#hows gym membership at desk

Plastic membership cards can help increase the use of leisure facilities. With plastic ID cards, members feel they’re important yet getting value for money.

Today’s consumers are becoming increasingly savvy about how they spend their hard-earned money. When it comes to paying for leisure services, they want to feel that they’re getting value for money and that they’re an important customer. This is where plastic ID cards can come in useful.

By offering customers unlimited use of your facilities for a set monthly or annual fee, you’re providing them with an incentive to visit more often. The more they use their card, the more cost-effective it becomes. Whether you’re running a cinema, a sports or health club or other leisure service, keeping customers coming back time and time again is a way of significantly boosting your profits. Once they’re on site, you can encourage them to spend further with additional services such as cafes and shops.

Plastic membership cards are a good way of targeting individual members and valued customers with special benefits that aren’t available to non-members. These can include personal features or bonuses such as tailored programmes or exclusive sessions. You might also want to start up an incentive programme attached to your membership scheme. This could offer free gifts or passes for continued use. The membership card could be used to get discounts on food, drink or other products.

It’s important to look for quality when sourcing membership cards and plastic cards are a much better option than cardboard. It’s more durable, even if the cards are stored in pockets or wallets for long periods of time. The cards are protected with a PVC laminate, which means that any details or images incorporated into the card won’t fade or rub off over time. Plastic ID cards can be magnetically encoded, allowing them to be quickly swiped on entry to the building. This allows members much faster access and enables you to know exactly who enters and uses the facilities.

Plastic membership cards are a great way of incentivising customers and increasing the use of your services. They make customers feel valued and more likely to return.

At Swype we offer a range of plastic cards to suit all needs, including plastic membership cards and business cards. For further information on our full selection of products, please browse through the site or contact one of the team.

Magnetic Stripe and The Plastic Card – A Revolutionary Combination

stack of plastic cards

Magnetic stripes have become an essential part of plastic card printing. Here we take a look at just how the magnetic stripe came about.

Several decades ago, back in 1960, an IBM engineer by the name of Forest Parry set upon the task of combining a magnetic strip which at the time was a popular storage means and a plastic card. After many attempts using different glues and adhesives, Forest finally figured out that by applying a moderate heat over the magnetic strip on the plastic card, would bond the two materials together without damaging the data on the strip which the other adhesive methods had done.

Even so, there still were steps and obstacles to take this technology to the mass market. To be able to take magnetic striped plastic cards to market, the following issues had to be addressed.

  1. Firstly the basic fundamentals had to be laid down so that all storage devices worked off the same universal platform, which meant the defining codes and what format the information was to be placed on the magnetic strip all had to be developed. These were in fact the creation of the international standards for magnetic storage cards.
  2. Intensive testing had to be undertaken for these storage cards as they were going to be introduced to the mass market. This meant that durability and condition tests were needed to make sure that they were fit for day to day usage.
  3. If these cards were to be introduced they would need to be mass produced. This meant that the manufacturing steps and processes had to be all developed to handle mass production.
  4. The terminals that were needed to accept the information from the card would need to be developed.

All these steps were worked on and solved throughout the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s and were overseen by IBM engineer Jerome Svigals. This project was defining the future in the way we use this type of technology on a daily basis and it has paved the way for use in credit cards, plastic ID cards, key cards and basically all types of plastic cards.

All types of point of sale hardware can read the information off a magnetic striped plastic card. On a magnetic strip there are 3 tracks that all store different parts of information. Generally speaking track 3 is obsolete and used only in rare instances, where as track 1 and track 2 on a magnetic strip are used in most cases including all types of credit and debit cards.

The following types of cards all use the above magnetic striped system:

As you can see nearly all types of plastic cards that we use on a daily basis are used with this technology. Nearly every wallet in all westernised societies will have one of the above plastic cards, with access to all types of personal and financial information.

Cards may be our ace in the pack, but we also do spades more!

spread out playing cards

Swype are more than just your plastic card supplier, we can also provide you with high quality, cost effective print work.

By now you know that Swype are specialists in the design and production of a full range of plastic card and related products.

But did you know that we also do a whole lot more than just plastic card printing, including digital print?

With many of our clients preferring to work with a single supplier for their needs, and because items such as letters, leaflets, booklets, brochures, calendars and business cards are often ordered at the same time as their plastic cards, we felt it made sense to invest in this side of the business.

As a result, we now have high-spec digital printing presses installed that can produce full colour products at very competitive prices. This is perfect for those looking to source everything under one roof and means the whole fulfilment process – personalised letters, application forms, envelopes, card carriers, etc – can now be fulfilled!

You can get all your items produced without fuss, receive the same great service and have the same point of contact for the entire order, and by choosing us to look after it all you can be sure that all designs, colour schemes and branding are consistent across each and every item.

To find out more about just how fulfilling our print and fulfilment service is, press ahead and call our sales team today.

10 reasons why our RFID Cards are a good idea

example of eco photo id card

RFID cards are among our most popular products here at Swype.

We get a variety of enquiries daily; here are just 10 reasons why you should come to us for your RFID Cards!

  1. We use the highest quality materials.
  2. You are not restricted to one type of chip technology
  3. The technology we use is secure
  4. Our account handlers are incredibly helpful and will talk you through the process
  5. We print to the core of the card, therefore artwork remains secure during use
  6. You can include additional features to enhance the artwork without effecting the technology such as signature panels and foiling
  7. We offer dual technology for anyone looking to combine technologies
  8. The cards are sealed between PVC laminate making them even more durable
  9. We can produce hard copy proofs to be tested beforehand
  10. We have a skilled team to assist with any question you have regarding the technology.

Should you have any RFID card requirements we would be happy to answer any questions.

Contact us today to speak to an expert.

The Power of the Plastic Card

example of plastic card

Plastic cards can be used for a multitude of purposes and for many years they have been at the forefront of most industries. Whether it be for banking and containing monetary value, or containing personal information and membership details they are a portable and compact tool. However, with the introduction or modern technology such as contactless, you would assume that the plastic card has had its day.

Fear not, the plastic card is still as important as it has ever been, if not more so. With the evolution of each plastic card product there has also been vast improvements in their security and functionality. Therefore, despite contactless becoming a popular alternative, plastic cards are continuously being requested due to their reliable and secure service. Many people choosing to stick with what they know and explore their options regarding plastic cards.

Here at Swype, we manufacturer an assortment of plastic card products. All of which are suitable for a variety of purposes, some of which don’t immediately spring to mind. Some of our more popular products are the following:

  • Membership Cards
  • Gift Cards
  • Loyalty Cards
  • RFID Cards
  • Access Control Cards
  • Plastic Business Cards
  • Events Passes

However, we also produce alternative plastic card products which over time we have noticed more of a demand for, such as the following:

  • Key Fobs
  • Custom Shaped Cards
  • Door Hangers
  • Frosted Cards
  • Coloured Edge Cards
  • Rewritable Cards
  • And more

By including some of our many features and finishes you can create a more personalised and unique card product. Many of our customers choose to combine various features, not only to enhance the look of their cards but to add working a technology or more of functioning feature such as a barcode, flat numbering and UV varnish.

Some of our more niche products, such as frosted cards are often requested for different uses. For example many people like to create a more memorable business card therefore they choose frosted cards. We have even has request to make table place cards from our frosted card products. Where our plastic cards are concerned the world is your oyster.

If you have any question regarding plastic card requirement contact our friendly sales team today at sales@swype.co.uk or on 01744 815 475

Improved Fulfilment Service

blank letter and envelope with flowers

ICM-3000 Card Mailer and Delivery System

Swype can now offer more from its fulfilment service, thanks to their recent purchase of the ICM3000 Card Mailer System. Swype already offer a proofing and Fulfilment service. However with the use of this machine we can now offer an ‘all in one’ service, as this machine not only reads the card’s data but matches it to their corresponding literature. As well as checking everything matches it can print and produce labels and finally attach them.

The ICM3000 Card Mailer System can also fold paper and stock the envelopes. This automated fulfilment machine will free up time and improve checking. Swype prides themselves on providing a careful, quick and professional service, therefore this machine can only amplify our current values and improve on an already accurate and and efficient service.

Don’t hesitate to contact a member of the team today on 01744 815475 to find out more.

New feature to our extensive plastic card portfolio: UV Ink- for enhanced security

paint tray

The UV Ink is a popular feature on plastic cards such as Access Control, Event Passes, Business cards and Photo ID Cards for security reasons.

The ultra violet ink is not visible to the human eye; it can only be detected when the card is placed under a UV lamp.

The invisible ink can be applied to the plastic core of the card in the form of text, logo, password or code.

A plastic card with UV Ink is very difficult to recreate, due to the specialist ink and without access to appropriate industrial printing machines. In addition, somebody who tries to replicate the card might not know that the UV Ink is there and in consequence fraudulent cards could be easily spotted as they would be missing this security feature.

Some of the benefits:

  • These cards can be printed on digital printing presses, allowing for small volumes of cards to be printed as well as larger quantities.
  • UV Ink reduces VOC emissions into the environment compared to other printing processes.
  • These plastic cards can be easily personalised, including names, dates and venue as well as individual photos of delegates.
  • UV Ink makes the cards unique and difficult to replicate, adding an extra security layer to the cards.

If you would like more information about our UV Ink cards please get in touch on 01744 815 475 to discuss your requirements Event passes requirements.

Integrate everything onto one card with our contactless LEGIC cards

customer pays with contactless card

Gone are the days of wasting time organising your security process. Now you can simplify everything, by incorporating Legic technology into your smartcards…

Legic has produced an RFID card capable of handling authorization management for multiple applications, from access control and time / attendance management, to parking and office automation by integrating multiple uses in one card.

This contactless multi-functional smartcard is the ideal product for institutions such as your own. Many universities benefit from our RFID cards for building access, parking, book borrowing, ID cards, locker room keys and payment cards. The same applies to leisure and tourism industries, for controlling room access, clocking in, parking, event pass, staff ID and membership. Legic have combined many useful and necessary applications all in one product.

Some of the benefits of providing Legic cards for your Clients, Staff or Students:

  • Multifunctional use all in one card
  • Compact solution for holding multiple applications

Benefits for using Legic:

  • Easy control and administration
  • Multifunctional access provided within the one product
  • Practical and secure cards for student and staff use

In addition, Legic technology supports multiple industry standards including: ISO 14443 A and B, ISO 15693. Legic Identsystems was established in 1990, in 1992 Legic was the first in the world to introduce a secure contactless technology platform for access control. Therefore, we are proud to be one of the many Legic partners and provide people with personalised Legic Cards.

At Swype, we can manufacture personalised LEGIC cards, which can contain internal and external data. It’s a multifunctional product as we can incorporating any digitally printed design such as an ID photograph, barcode or text sealed between PVC laminate, to make your RFID cards extra secure.

For more information about how we can adapt your RFID cards to suit your specific requirements, contact a friendly member of the team today on 01744 815475. Or visit our website to see some examples of our work.

We are an official MIFARE registered partner!

studio guides logo

We are pleased to announce that we are now a proud MIFARE partner.

Over the years, MIFARE has become a well-known brand for contactless cards and has a strong position in the RFID market.

In addition, MIFARE products comply with the international standard ISO/IEC 14443, which it is used in more than 80% of all contactless smart cards today.

This new partnership will continue to reinforce our products reliability as well as validating the quality of our access control cards.

If you would like to receive more information about our Access Control cards with MIFARE technology, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly sales team on 01744 815475 or visit our MIFARE registered Partner page here for more information.

Get more out of our plastic card products with our Braille feature.

example of braille text

Here at Swype, we have the facility to produce personalised Braille cards. The Braille system is a method that is widely used by the visually impaired to read and write.

We found that a number of organisations which require representatives to visit people within their homes were seeking to incorporate Braille on their plastic id cards; in this way, when making home visits, they could confirm their identify to reassure those that they are visiting of their authenticity.

With more and more companies now recognising the need to offer a Braille alternative on their plastic cards we have invested in the technology to offer this service. The Braille option will be a great asset to add to client plastic ID cards and membership cards alike.

If you would like more information about our Braille cards please get in touch on 01744 815475

Personalised LEGIC RIFD plastic cards

example of eco photo id card

Swype is one of the UK’s leading plastic card manufacturers that is able to produce personalised RFID cards with LEGIC chips in full digital colour print.

No surface printing or thermal transfer. This method of digital printing allows the plastic cards to be personalised either with a name, number, or in the case of identity cards, with a full colour photograph of the card holder.
The identity part of the card (be it an image or text) is an integral part of the base card, it is printed in sheet format then laminated and punched into individual plastic cards. This means that not only is the ID print of the same high quality as the background print, it is also safely protected behind the PVC laminate preventing the imagery from fading or wearing away over time.

This feature can be incorporated into Access Control cards, such as ID Visitor Pass, Staff cards, membership cards and payment cards, to ensure the highest security.

The RFID cards with LEGIC technology offer a range of customisation options that can be individually tailored to the customer needs. Additional features include magnetic stripes, barcodes, signature panel, QR and others.

Contact our friendly Sales Team on 01744 815475 to discuss your requirements today or request your quote here

Our team is ready

Please get in touch, we can't wait to help you out.

Swype is part of the Company Cards Ltd Group