Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Tips For Printing On Plastic Cards

Tips For Printing On Plastic Cards

By Nita McKinney


The global emergence of printing on plastic cards has risen from the fact that different companies and firms have turned to using the plastic material for their cards. Mostly you will find a gift card, membership card, loyalty card, business card, key access card, fund-raising card, and identity card among others being made in this manner. People mainly use these products because they can meet various global market demands.

The designing and printing of this kind of card is quite a daunting task that needs special attention and hard work. Therefore, graphic designers need to consider specific requirements of plastic cards and printing tips in order to effectively make them. For instance, international regulations require that a standard card should range from 85.47 millimeters to 85.72 millimeters in length, 53.92 millimeters to 54.03 millimeters in width, and 0.82 millimeters thick.

There are other regulations which dictate that a credit card should measure 3.375 inches by 2.125 inches, a business card to measure 3.5 inches by 2 inches and a postcard to measure 4 inches by 6 inches. In addition, there are certain factors that should be considered when printing a card. For instance, spot color and four color systems should always be used in the process.

The spot color should be devoted to a particular color of the ink such that the same color is printed on the card. Similarly, a computer can also be used with the spot color system to ensure the accurate printing of colors. Moreover, using a wide range of plastic substrates would ensure that the card gets a warm and stark white quality.

Designers are advised to avoid the final polishing of the card, which can darken them. Instead, they should bump it in order to compensate for the darkening or washing out of the printed details. When designing the card, graphic artists are advised to provide an additional 0.125 inch, which caters for bleeding of ink during the procedure. The extra piece also aids the designer in die cutting such the printed surface is not tampered with during cutting.

Most designers often use different kinds of plastics in their designing work. The major types of plastics used includes the composite laminated plastics and traditional PVC plastics. Most designers prefer using the composite laminated plastics since they are more cheaper than PVC types.

The traditional PVC materials however last longer and have higher quality than the composite laminates. To be effective, there are other designing options that can be carried out in order to improve the quality of the products. These include; bar coding, using different types of lengths, gloss finishing, variable data, magnetic striping, holographic security systems, and tip-on gluing method.

Designing and printing on plastic cards is always carried out to serve several purposes such as; conforming to the current technological demands, establishing longevity, and improving the card quality. For example, gloss finishing improves card quality, while security holographic detects the digital security appliances. Furthermore, card printing and designing distinguishes the particular characteristics of each card. The advantages that are therefore achieved by use of these products are more as compared to those of other types.




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