Plastic Cards | Cardsplus

Plastic Cards

Cards Plus is the only LOCAL PVC Card manufacturer which offers you, the customer the following:

  • Flexible printing options with NO minimum print quantities and NO set-up costs.
  • Leading edge technology for VARIABLE data print during the printing process.
  • The ONLY plastic card supplier to offer custom printed cards in just 24 HOURS!

HOW PLASTIC CARDS WORK

THE COMPOSITION OF A CARD

  1. Overlay Film - Transparent film protects variable data incl. names, photos, barcodes and security features from fading, tampering or cards being duplicated.
  2. Core - The plastic core of the card is printed with text and graphics. Using a large digital offset press, sheets of plastic are printed, with a six colour printing process.
  3. Prelaminated Inlay - Ranging from NFC, RFID and multiple chip inlays. Frequency: 125KHZ,13.56MHZ or 860-960MHZ.
  4. Core - The core is commonly made from a plastic resin known as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This resin is mixed with opacifying materials, dyes, and plasticizers to give it the proper appearance and consistency.
  5. Overlay Film - A high-quality transparent film protects cards against abrasion, moisture and chemical exposure. It prevents artwork from fading and maintain visual appearance.

The Process

Cards are made of several layers of plastic laminated together. The core is commonly made from a plastic resin known as polyvinyl chloride acetate (PVCA). This resin is mixed with opacifying materials, dyes, and plasticizers to give it the proper appearance and consistency. This core material is laminated with thin layers of PVCA or clear plastic materials. These laminates will adhere to the core when applied with pressure and heat.

The manufacturing process consists of multiple steps: first the plastic core and laminate materials are compounded and cast into sheet form; then the core is the printed with appropriate information; next the laminates are applied to the core; and finally the assembled sheet is cut into individual cards.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF A PLASTIC CARD

  1. Hot foiling - Add some bling to your card, with a range of foil colours
  2. UV Print - Unique florescent ink, which is only visible under UV lights
  3. Magnetic Stripe & Encoding - Available in HiCo or LoCo and has up to three tracks to encode your data
  4. Signature Panel - Offering standard and custom signature panels. Normal white or patterned strips
  5. Barcode / QR Code - Different combinations of bars and spaces are used to encode characters into bar codes. For QR code’s this type of barcode can be decoded using a smartphone with a QR code reader
  6. Security Hologram - Holographic film fused over your card with a 3 dimensional image, for high security applications
  7. Numbering & Embossing - Think of the raised numbers and letters on your credit card
  8. Variable Data & Personalisation - Individually personalisation on cards, either text, numbers or photos
  9. Technology Cards - Contactless / Contact Chip / Mifare and Combination Cards

Nippy Service

Printing of up to 5 000 cards, which includes the following features:

  • Vivid Full Colour Printing On One Or Both Sides Of The Card
  • Barcodes / QR Code
  • Photos And Variable Data
  • Serialised Numbering
  • Hico Or Loco Strip For Self Encoding

Our nippy service is the printing of plastic cards at breakneck speed providing up to 5 000 cards in just 24 hours! We have perfected the art of rapid offset printed cards! We understand that sometimes things don’t work out exactly as planned. Maybe someone forgets to place the card order or maybe the artwork took too long to get to you or maybe your product launch is tomorrow and promotional cards will be just the detail that will skyrocket sales. No matter the delay, Cards Plus is here to help!

5 Day Service

Your 5 Day Cards Can Feature

  • Vivid Full Colour Printing On One Or Both Sides Of The Card
  • Barcodes
  • Photos And Text Inserts
  • Serialised Numbering
  • A Hico Or Loco Strip For Self Encoding

OR upgrade from a 10 day to an 5 day turnaround

You will receive custom manufactured plastic cards within 5 working days standard. We don’t mess around with “maybe” or “perhaps” – this service is 100% guaranteed! This plastic card printing service is specifically designed for single step plastic cards- that is, any card with standard CYMK printing with or without variable data printing. Hit your deadlines with ease with this print service!

10 Day Service

Your 10 Day Cards Can Feature:

Do you need a more detailed card? You can now receive eye popping branded plastic cards to make your design shine in only 10 days! It is the perfect solution for short runs (that means less than 35 000 cards per order) of custom plastic cards and there is no minimum quantity. Cards are printed using an eye-popping digital process, that transforms colours from ho-hum to remarkable.

Related Industries

Education

  • School ID or Access Card
  • Tuck Shop Card or Cashless System
  • Bag Tags and Accessories

Retail & Leisure

  • Gift, Loyalty or Account Cards
  • Visitor, Parking or Access Cards
  • Membership or Gym Cards

Health & Wellness

  • Medical Aid Cards
  • Employee Benefit Cards
  • Spa Gift Cards

Security

  • Photo Identification Card
  • Technology Based Stock Cards
  • Card and Printer Bundle Deals

Government

  • Union membership cards
  • Government Party ID Cards
  • High Security ID Access Cards

Corporate

  • ID or Access Cards
  • Employee Incentives or Rewards Card
  • Debt Management or Counselling

Transportation

  • Taxi Association Cards
  • Roadside Assistance Cards
  • Bus / Taxi / Train Cards

Events

  • Cashless Cards
  • Luggage Tags and Loops
  • Cashless Systems Wristband Option