Custom Plastic Card – Some Important Details For Business Owners

If you’re considering implementing a custom plastic card for your UK business’s customers, here’s some information about features that you might want to consider.

Hot Stamp Printing

The most common way to put information on a customized plastic card is via the hot stamp process. An engraved metal plate is heated and applied to the card, which is overlaid with dry ink. This process creates the familiar printing and logos seen on plastic discount cards or plastic membership cards. You even can order plastic business cards hot printed with an eye-catching metallic foil.

Numbering, Bar Coding, Magnetic Striping and OCR

Consecutive numbering is the most basic way to differentiate cards from each other. A variety of bar code formats also is available for custom plastic card printing. Magnetic striping is more expensive and comes in low or high density. 3 tracks are available for magnetically encoding information on custom plastic cards. OCR is a process where a special pre-printed image on a plastic card is scanned into a format that can be used by computer on computerized cash register.

Embossing

You’re probably familiar with the raised lettering that appears on a custom plastic ID card. This embossing is done by a mechanical process that combines heat and pressure to create the raised lettering or design on the card. For a finishing touch, embossed letters are often tipped with a contrasting ink or foil during the plastic card printing process.

Panels

Many cards carry the cardholder’s signature on a panel for comparison at the point of purchase or security checkpoint. The panel can be clear or white and may contain personalization that’s handwritten, typewritten or generated by a computer.

A custom plastic card is a distinctive and cost-effective way for UK business owners to recognize and reward customer loyalty.