Plastic Cards for Stores, Computer Games, Software, Membership, Security, Phones etc.

1. Plastic Card Solutions Sourced through the UK's leading supplier of plastic cards with a total commitment to customer service and quality. For all your requirements Telephone: +44 (0)753 808 3021 Email: solutions@allanfowler.co.uk Website: www.allanfowler.co.uk

2. Account / Discount Cards With the advent of computerised systems and cash registers more and more small businesses are finding a need for a card of their own. Bureau'dto credit card standards it serves as both a practical and efficient system for maintaining and monitoring sales, and also as a professional and long lasting advertisement of your business. Cards can be manufactured with a barcode or an encoded magnetic stripe to work alongside your till system. Secure Code Delivery Cards For Computer Software activation, Game Time cards, Telephone cards, whatever the usage, if you require unique and secure code delivery this is the solution. Plastic cards with the individual alpha-numeric code fully protected under the lamination and with a scratch-off surface applied over the top. Codes provided by the customer are handled in a secure environment. They can be supplied in specific batches, identified by product title, territory, language etc. Cards can carry identifying serial numbers to allow a code to be identified without removing the scratch-off surface. The cards can also be used for tracking product based on the activation of the code. This allows reporting of product movement. Collectable images can be used to enhance the product and the Scratch-off surface can be personalised with a company Logo, product name or other identifier. Gift Cards Gift cards are rapidly replacing the traditional paper vouchers. Not only do they have a longer shelf life, plastic cards are waterproof, durable and fit perfectly into your wallet! Many companies across the UK have now jumped on the plastic gift card idea and are seeing their profits soar! The cards can be as simple or as complex as you chose. Some companies simply have a plastic card designed with the desired amount pre-printed on the card, i.e. £10, £20 discount. Other companies are adding a little extra security to their cards by having them programmed to work along side their swipe system by adding a magnetic stripe or barcode.

3. Identity / Photo ID Cards An identity or ID card is a card that identifies an individual as part of an organisation or gives an individual certain rights (e.g. access) within an organisation. The functions of the card can be as simple as showing who you are or as complex as door access/security. How are ID cards produced? The identity part of the card - be it a photo (digital or conventional) or text etc. is an integral part of the base card, it is printed in sheet format, laminated, and then punched into individual cards. This means that not only is the ID print of the same high quality as the background print, it is also safely behind the laminate layer. We can also surface print card using conventional ribbon techniques, as in the case of proximity cards etc. Key Fobs Since the launch of the 'Tesco' key fob several years ago many companies have taken this idea on board and created their own company key fob. These miniature plastic cards can be personalised by name, number or even a barcode to work alongside any scanning systems you have in place. They are a perfect addition to any loyalty, discount or membership scheme that you may have and are ideal for information or promotional items to pass to your clients. Like standard plastic cards these are printed full colour to both sides with your own company design. They have an option of gloss or silk finish and can be supplied to you with or without metal split rings attached. Loyalty Cards Thousands of companies are using plastic cards to generate customer loyalty and actively promote a product, service or stimulate a response. A plastic card acts as an advert in a wallet! After a cursory glance a person will generally discard your brochure, leaflet or promotional literature. People on the other hand, do not throw away plastic cards. It will initiate or consolidate that all important link with the customer, and help provide the rarest commodity in business - customer loyalty.

4. Membership / Access Cards A club, society or association consists of a group of people who have a common purpose or interest, i.e. golf, night clubbing, yachting, tennis, etc. A person is usually proud of being a member of his or her particular club. A quality plastic membership card will help strengthen that link and assist in retaining and promoting the active interest between the member, the club, and other members of the club. The annual issue of a membership card can be a distinct asset in stimulating a prompt response when annual subscription renewals are due. A plastic membership card is also of value in protecting the interests of a club. Cards can be manually checked, or, if magnetically encoded, automatically checked on entry or other relevant location. This assists in precluding non-members from using facilities for which they have made no contribution. Novelty Cards Novelty cards are becoming increasingly popular. Rather than just the standard Birthday or St Valentines Day gift card people are buying plastic novelty cards which display a special message that you want to give to someone. Not only do these last longer but they can be signed on the reverse along with a personal message and given to a friend or loved one to carry around in their purse or wallet. Custom Shaped Plastic Cards Do you want a card that will stand out from all the rest? Something unique that will stick in your clients mind? Then why not enquire about your own custom shaped plastic card. Whether it is a business card, security pass, membership card or promotional card you can add a little something special by changing the size and shape of your card. Metallic Cards Cards can be produced on a gold or silver metallic plastic. These cards are ideal for making your card stand out and are great for distinguishing between bronze, silver, gold, platinum members / clients etc. How they are produced? We start with a standard white base which is coated in silver or gold metallic ink. This is then fed through a digital printing press adding your card design over the metallic base. The design printed on the metallic base will also appear to be metallic when the card is finished, i.e. if you print red on to the metallic base your card will be a red metallic.

5. Plastic Business Cards Ever thought of upgrading your paper business card to plastic? Our plastic cards come in a range of different weights, all printed full colour to both sides with the option of gloss or matt finish. Plastic cards have a longer shelf life than the traditional paper cards and unlike paper cards they never seem to find their way into the bin! People keep plastic cards, just check your bag or wallet! You could add his years calendar dates to reverse side of your business cards? Not only is this very useful but you can be sure that your contacts will keep your business card at hand. Scratch Cards These days you can find scratch cards anywhere and everywhere, their popularity over recent years has grown considerably due to their low cost and the opportunity to win instantly. However scratch cards are not only used for the lottery and gambling industry, they have so many more uses from mobile top up and computer game activation to promotional / competition cards. More and more companies are using scratch cards as promotional gimmicks for exhibitions, product launches and give a ways! The cards are printed full colour to both sides on various weights of plastic; a silver scratch foil conceals a hidden password, individual alpha-numeric codes or username. Security Printing We are able add that crucial extra protection to your cards. Invisible ink can be applied on to the plastic core of the card in the form of text, logo, password or code. This invisible ink can not be detected unless an Ultra Violet light is present making this a highly secure tamper proof feature which you can apply to your cards. In addition, holographic foil, signature panels and holograms can also be applied to help give you real peace of mind. This is ideal for security passes, tickets or any other card that you wish to protect from fraudulent copying. Snapper Cards A brand new type of plastic card, perfect to be used a promotional idea or marketing idea. The cards look and feel like a regular credit card style plastic card. However, when you bend and snap the card it peels in two to reveal a secret hidden message stored on the plastic core of the card. These 'Fortune Cookie' style cards are perfect for sending passwords, codes, usernames etc. to your clients. They can also be used as a two part ticket for concerts and events where the card is snapped on the door, one part is kept by event co-ordinators and the other by the ticket holder.

6. SERVICES Bureau Service Most companies are starting to use a bureau service to give that personal touch to their cards. Whilst a card in itself is a major marketing tool, a personalised card is often regarded as a status symbol, showing your customer's link to your business or service. A full bureau’ing service tailored to your needs, whether your business is small or large. A secure database of the cards that you are using is held for you. New cards can be automatically dispatched to your customers as they are required. Literature accompanying the card can be of your own origin or designed and manufactured for you. Design Service Are you finding it difficult to come up with right design for your cards? Or do you have the perfect design ideas but need help bringing it all together on screen? A complete In House Design Service is available. Experienced designers are on hand to work with you to create the perfect design for your cards. We can work to your design specification or come up with the complete card design. Not only do the designers exceed in creativity but they have great experience of the printing and production process that will follow, so they will be sure to create the perfect card for your company. Fulfilment Services This service is there to take the stress of your plastic card mailing off your hands! If you wish to post your membership cards directly to your customers we can assist you by not only producing the plastic cards but by printing and personalising your letters, attaching the card and mailing them directly to your customer. If you wish for your cards to be attached to a carrier or inserted into a brochure our in-house fulfilment team are on hand to assist.

7. PRODUCTION Card Encoding On the rear of credit cards and other bank cards there is a Magnetic Stripe. On this strip of magnetic tape can be stored information that a card reader will pick up and translate to whatever machine it is linked to, i.e. cash register or PC. As a rule in the UK, there are three 'tracks' (lines of data) that can be stored on the strip, track 1, track 2, and track 3. Commonly, most card readers pick up track 2. A substantial amount of information can be stored on the back of a card in coded form. For example a club members address, phone number and date of birth, or a specific password. Personalisation Embossing is the process by which characters, numbers or letters are punched into the card raising the surface of the card in that characters form. This raised text can then be tipped with gold, silver or black. This form of personalisation is limited to the characters that can be punched and the size of those characters. On Press personalisation is the technology which enables us to print personalised details as part of the artwork. When the card is finished, the personalised details are protected behind the PVC laminate, saving the details from been scratched or wearing away over time. This process also enables us to personalise images for Photo ID cards. Thermal print personalisation is a process by which text, barcodes, or light graphics are printed onto the surface of the finished card using a coloured ribbon. Card Laminating The cards are manufactured using the latest technology in PVC Laminating. This protects the cards and prevents the details printed on the card from being scratched or wearing away over time. The laminated surfaces are available in matt or gloss and various levels of thickness to suit any application. Frosted Cards Frosted card are becoming very popular among many companies who are looking for a modern style of plastic card. These semi-transparent cards are made to credit card size with radius corners on a 680 micron. These card are not surfaced printed, the artwork is printed single sided on a transparent plastic core which is then pressure laminated to both sides, protecting the print underneath the laminate layer. The cards are printed full colour using the latest in hi-tech digital technology enabling us to produce frosted cards with print which bleeds off the edge of the card, unlike many other card manufacturers which can only print 3 to 4mm from the edge of the card.