Six groups, countless possibilities
Print sides: Single-sided (4/0) if the back should stay classic white. Or double-sided (4/4) when both sides work: brand up front, contact details, stamp fields or a QR code on the back. UV printing goes in CMYK directly onto the PVC.
Surface: This is where PVC shows its full range. For the glossy entrance: hot foil stamping in gold or silver (single-sided), metallic ink printing in gold or silver and spot color gold or silver (single-sided) as its own ink next to CMYK. For the sense of touch: embossing in gold or silver for numbers and names, relief varnish (3D UV, tangible) and spot UV varnish (single-sided) for glossy accents exactly where you want them. For everyday life: the matte lamination (both sides) de-glares and protects the print. For purists: laser engraving (single-sided). And for the authenticity check: UV security ink, invisible until the UV light comes on.
Chip: On request your PVC card gets smart: the NFC chips NTAG213, NTAG215 and NTAG216 take contacts via smartphone tap to your website, Google review or digital business card – from a compact link (144 bytes) to a full vCard with reserve (888 bytes). The RFID chips Mifare Classic 1K and F08 handle access, membership and billing systems; the F08 talks like the Mifare Classic 1K – same frequency, same memory structure. All chips transmit at 13.56 MHz.
Magnetic stripe: For every system with a swipe or insert reader, your card gets a magnetic stripe on the back – either as LoCo (standard, easy to re-encode) or HiCo (less sensitive to stray magnetic fields, for heavy daily use). Both options including encoding if required – just tell us what your system wants to read.
Personalization: Every card can be different – the data monster prints straight through your list. Choose from a signature panel (writable with a ballpoint pen, permanent), a variable barcode or QR code per card from your CSV list (for POS, access and customer accounts), full personalization with names, numbers and data per card from CSV, sequential numbering in print (countable, assignable, checkable) and a scratch-off panel that hides your code until redemption – the classic for vouchers and campaigns.
Punching: Your card should hang instead of sit? The round hole comes left, top center or right – the classics for key tags on rings and ball chains. The slot punch (15 × 3 mm) top or left is the badge standard for lanyard clips and textile straps: the card hangs straight and stays readable. Or leave it without a hole – full canvas for your design.