Custom Plastic Cards Printing

Plastic business cards are great. And, they aren’t necessarily bad for the environment. They can be made out of recycled plastic (not cheap though), corn or teslin. Here is a breakdown of the different options you will usually be faced with when it comes to purchasing any type of plastic business or membership card

Colour of plastic

The plastic generally comes in white, frosted or clear. The frosted cards generally have a slight texture on one or both sides. Frosted and clear cards often make use of white print in some areas to add some density to ensure the best colour results.

Colour of print

Plastic cards are usually full colour print. This means that the cost will be the same for a bit of black text, or a complex colour photo. So have fun with the design. Special colours like fluoros or metallic inks are available too for a premium.  It is often advised to have a layer of white print underneath large blocks of colour on the clear or frosted cards. This ensures the colour is solid and stands out, if that is the effect you are after. There is no need for white underneath text (too tricky to get perfectly lined up) or if you are going for a washed out, gentle effect with the colours.

Thickness

Credit cards are about 0.76mm thick, and plastic business cards generally don’t get any thicker than that. The next thickness down is 0.5mm. It is considerably cheaper than 0.7mm and the result is still great. From there, you go down to 0.4 or 0.3mm and these ones are quite thin. Not easily creased, but quite thin in comparison to the 0.5mm.

Gloss or Matt

Until recently, plastic cards were almost always done with a gloss finish. Matt is becoming more popular, and it is a really lovely finish.

Round or Square corners/Fancy shapes

Plastic cards usually have rounded corners – square corners can be a bit sharp! They can also be die cut to any shape you like. Holes can also be punched, often for lanyards or clips to go through.

Foil

Hot foil stamping is popular. You will most often see it on hotel key cards, or club membership cards. It looks great, and adds some texture and depth.

Variable Data

Barcodes and sequential numbers are useful features. Don’t forget to ask for them specifcally at the quoting stage, as it does make a difference.

Signature strips

This is a little area just like the one you get on your credit card. You can specify the size and location of your signature strip, making it easy for writing on.

Magnetic Strip

Hotel Key Cards, Membership Cards, Credit Cards – magnetic strips can be applied to any card design

Combination Cards

Remember the membership cards you used to get from Blockbuster? A credit card size card with a keyring tag attached to it? We do those!

Plastic cards are useful, look great and are durable. The 0.5mm and thinner cards are delightfully affordable too!

So give us a call and we can talk about your custom plastic card printing needs!