Forms of Plastic Cards

This white paper is intended as a reference for federal authorities considering systems offered regarding issuing safe ID playing cards. There are three key components of this judgement:

• ID card body or ID card substrate material
• Print or maybe personalization technologies
• Laminate or topcoat material

All elements must be suitable to get a successful ID greeting card printing program and even each part impacts this cost, durability in addition to safety measures of the ID card. There are many trade-offs involved in a conclusion with the appropriate combination. There is no “best” method, so this engineering choices should end up being carefully examined against method requirements, together with carefully examined using the factors picked.

ID Card Components – Substrates

1. PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) is the most widely used material for cheap clean ID cards, and has been recently used for photo IDENTIFICATION charge cards to get more than 10 many years. Low in price, this smooth surface of image quality PVC material allows dyes for high high quality picture printing on IDENTIFICATION playing cards and is compatible with most laminate components. Although there are some sort of extensive quality range associated with PVC elements, durability can be limited for software having high utilization. Material can be imprinted as pre-cut cards as well as sheet material (on large digital presses). PVC is generally the most affordable cost of the particular resources used for ID credit cards, and is primarily utilized for ID cards along with 1 : 3 12 months durability requirements.

2. Compound Cards generally combine coatings of PVC and DOG. Developed at first for often the college and college or university ID card market, IDENTITY cards buildings combine differing amounts of each material to meet up with a range of durability requirements and price points. The outer covering connected with the construction is PVC to facilitate digital IDENTIFICATION card printing, and the particular interior core is ANIMAL regarding greater flexibility together with durability. It has the same offset printing and even cards construction characteristics since PVC, and can be effortlessly designed with RFID, IC and contactless technological innovation. Suppliers always develop new composite constructions (e. g. PVC/PET/PC) to add specific performance traits. Blend ID cards will be frequently used for govt ID greeting cards that demand a good longer lifetime.

a few. Teslin is a artificial porous material produced by simply PPG Industries. It is usually open to conventional offset printing used in high protection designs. Throughout sheet form, it can be branded using standard color electrophotographic (laser) printers or ink jet printers. Because the floor is not smooth like PVC that cannot be right printed along with dye konzentrationsausgleich printers.

Printing Technologies

1. Dye Sublimation (sometimes referred to as dye diffusion thermal shift – as well as D2T2) works by using heat in order to transfer chemical dyes to a base. Employed for high quality shade printing, the method creates steady tone colours by varying the amount of heating applied. Usually a 3 to 4 color ribbon (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) can be passed under a cold weather printhead and heat is definitely applied to deposit dye. Bow dyes can be employed:
a. Steer – branded directly to a great IDENTITY card surface; as well as,
t. RETRANSFER – printed to be able to the backside of a clear re-transfer ribbon which in turn is then fused to help the ID credit surface area and is frequently associated with the HDP series. It is usually commonly used to individualize smart cards which may well have irregular materials.

A advantage of the dye sublimation process is often the substantial variety of colors the fact that can be created. Small variations in heat create different shades of this same coloring and typically the transparent dyes can be employed over one one more, producing solid color gradients. Systems such as inkjet or even color electrophotographic printing count on dithered images where stable color dots are branded closely together creating a new visible look of a new solid colour. The typical 300 dpi printhead and then can gain impression top quality superior to a 600 dpi quality from dithered images. There are the wide range of personal computer ID card printers and some central issuance printers working with direct and retransfer IDENTITY card printing technologies. All these computer printers include in-line personalization of magnetic stripes, contactless as well as contact chips, RFID, etc. A disadvantage regarding this technologies is typically the supply cost for your multi-panel ribbon. Another limit is definitely that the dyes want to be shielded coming from degradation that may derive from chemical or ultraviolet of which attack.

2. Botanical as well as Pigment Transfer is a further putting on thermal transfer making working with heat to first deposit plant or pigment on the subject of a substrate. Thermally employed resins are more stable in comparison with dyes and they are much extra resistant to fading. Resins can be applied:
a new. Direct – printed inside of grayscale directly to the ID credit card surface; or perhaps,
b. Retransfer – making use of resins over a 3-4-5 screen ribbon printed to this backside of the obvious retransfer ribbon which is next fused to the USERNAME card surface. Specially designed retransfer frills are extra receptive to resins in comparison with PVC, and can end up being printed with increased populate resolution. Retransfer may be used to individualize smart cards which may own irregular surfaces.

four. Laser beam Engraving When polycarbonate chemicals are hit by the focused laser beam beam these people change to tiny carbon pockets. These form a black color color, and permanently customize substrate. By directing a good laser beam at the funeste polycarbonate material laminated underneath the surface of typically the ID credit, this will be possible to produce or “engrave” high quality images or typeface under the top surface. Even microfeatures can be unveiled. Diverse how much laser energy makes it possible for real gray-scale printing which will releases photo quality charcoal and white images. This producing text or even impression does not fade and is also not subject to degeneration through UV light, water or perhaps surface abrasion.

Some sort of laserlight can as well end up being concentrated at the outside laminate on the ID credit card with enough energy for you to disturb often the ID credit card surface, building a responsive effect. Not like the various other printing systems explained, there is no ongoing source products (ribbons, toners, foils or overlay materials) required. There are a limited number associated with manufacturers involving laser engraving personalization systems. These programs can be configured with in-line personalization associated with permanent magnetic stripes, contactless as well as call chips, RFID, etc . id card printing required to build lazer engraved cards or perhaps files is more expensive and technologically sophisticated as compared to the other print strategies described, making it quite hard to be bought for not authorized use. This technologies continues to be used in European countries for more than 10 years for high security files.

Laminate or Topcoat Supplies

1. Thin Film Topcoats Color thermal transfer ribbons (dye and resin types) generally include a clear out topcoat panel which will be applied to the entire work surface of the ID credit card once the color producing is finish. The topcoats are designed to avoid dye migration and give only limited abrasion and chemical resistance. Topcoats are normally used on business worker USERNAME cards where often the card is usually largely with regard to visual identification. Coatings are able to be intentionally taken off enabling alteration and/or replacement unit connected with printed information.

Thin motion picture security topcoats excessive optically variable features (e. h. ID card holograms or maybe specialized inks) double to help provide a level associated with counterfeit and tamper weight. The films are just a few microns thick together with should not be removed intact, supplying a high level of tamper data. Along with a clear topcoat these two sheets offer somewhat better chemical substance in addition to désagrégation resistance, but may still be removed. This kind of security topcoat is used in many USERNAME cards where security dangers from tampering or degeneration can be not significant. They are really also used on ID documents such as passports where the surface is normally not subjected to bigger levels of désagrégation common in order to ID cards.

2. UV-Cured Topcoats Ultraviolet cured coatings are accessible on almost all central issuance Datacard® systems and present a larger level of abrasion and even chemical resistance than skinny topcoats. The material is usually used during personalization in addition to then remedied with the UV source. It offers a good moderate level of defense for thermally printed photos and text. They are typically used in economical or devotion cards, nonetheless are generally not recommended intended for ID card software.

4. Polyester Laminates Polyester-made laminates are used in throw form and applied like “patches” to the floor of your ID card, or even inside of sheet form for you to a cut-sheet substrate. Inside of both cases the material is usually laminated with high temperature plus pressure to the surface of the ID greeting card. Apps for ID paperwork typically use laminates running from 0. 0005 ~ 0. 001” ( one-half to 1 mil). All these laminates are best intended for érosion and chemical weight, and may also incorporate UV blockers to protect against fading. They usually are extremely versatile, and may significantly extend typically the helpful life of many styles of ID documents.

An array of security features can be contained into the wider laminates, including optically distinction features, stability printing, or even serial numbers. These kind of laminates are used on a lot of secure government identification greeting cards, providing a high standard of counterfeit and tampering deterrence. This strongest levels of lamination occurs as soon as combining identical or perhaps chemically-linked materials where the layered and substrate are joined under heat and pressure. Laminating polyester materials additional types of substrates calls for particular adhesives. Because the particular laminate subject matter is heavier, it may be easier to remove undamaged leaving the main IDENTIFICATION card or document insecure to tampering.