Great question! CardPrinting.com prints the cards according to the specifications required by your point of sale provider. Some systems receive input from a swipe of a card that has a magnetic stripe, some can accept input from a barcode. Some POS providers require that the information - or "data" is located on a certain place on the magnetic stripe (called a "track"). We need those specifications from you, and then after your order is placed, we create encoded test cards. While your order is scheduled for print or is actually printing, the test cards are created and sent to you. You try them with your system when you receive them and let us know if they worked. If they did not work we will guide you in the steps to take to troubleshoot the issues.

There are several factors that will drive your choice of plastic card printing material:

Card design features: Some of our great printing features, such as foil stamping, can only be accomplished on the PVC base material. If you have questions about the features we offer, please contact a Cardprinting.com representative via chat or phone and allow them to guide you in your available choices.

Aesthetics: The PVC card looks like your credit card … the same thickness, the same material. Our Composite card has the same thickness as the standard PVC credit card, the same functionality, but because it has a thinner core and a thicker laminate, there are slight differences in the way it looks in comparison.

Cost: Our Composite card tends to be slightly more economical than the PVC card.

Turnaround time: Our Composite card turnaround time is generally 9-11 business days compared to 12-14 business days for the PVC card.

Rush services: As quickly as a two-day turnaround may be available for Composite orders, and expedited orders for PVC may be also available. Please check with a Cardprinting.com representative.

Other materials available If you'd like to know about other materials we print on, see our Plastic Card Material Choices.