Card printing
PVC Card Printing
Custom plastic cards printed on 30 mil CR80 PVC — employee ID badges, membership and loyalty cards, gift cards, event passes and key tags. Full color edge to edge, with magnetic stripes, signature panels, barcodes, slot punches and a different name on every card when you need it. Printed in Boston and shipped nationwide.
- CR80 30 mil, credit-card grade
- Variable data, photos and barcodes
- HiCo and LoCo magnetic stripes
- Blank stock also available by the case
Plastic Business Cards - White or Black PVC, 30 mil
from $12.50
Plastic Business Cards - Color PVC, 30 mil
from $13.75
Gift Cards- White PVC w/ MagStripe
from $7.50
Color CR80/30 Premium PVC ID Cards - Qty. 500
from $60.00
Blank CR80 PVC Cards - White, 30 mil (Packs of 100)
from $42.25
Custom PVC Lanyards - Color PVC, 30 mil
from $55.00
Employee ID badges
Photo, name, title, department and a barcode or QR code on every card, printed from one spreadsheet. Slot punched for reels and lanyards, and reprintable one card at a time as people join.
Membership and loyalty cards
Gyms, clubs, salons and coworking spaces hand members a card that survives a gym bag for years. Add a magnetic stripe or barcode so the front desk can scan it at check-in.
Gift and stored-value cards
Full-color gift cards on white PVC with a HiCo or LoCo magnetic stripe, ready for your POS to encode — or we encode them before they ship.
Event passes and credentials
Conferences, festivals and job sites use PVC passes because they do not tear off a lanyard or turn to pulp in the rain. Print a different name and access level on every card.
Card options
| Option | Choices | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Size | CR80 — 3.375" x 2.125"; 2-up and 3-up key tag cards | Badges, wallet cards, keyring tags |
| Thickness | 30 mil standard; 20 mil and 10 mil | 30 mil for daily badges; thinner for handouts and inserts |
| Magnetic stripe | HiCo 4000 oe, LoCo 300 oe, encoded or blank | Access control, gift and stored-value cards |
| Signature panel | Front or back strip | Membership, ID and stored-value cards |
| Variable data | Names, numbers, photos, barcodes, QR codes | Employee badges, student IDs, member cards |
| Punching | Short-side slot, long-side slot, round hole | Lanyards, badge reels and clips |
| Material | PVC; PVC-PET composite | Composite for laminated, multi-year credentials |
| Quantities | 100, 250, 500, 1,000 and up; blanks in packs of 100 and cases of 500 | Price per card falls sharply with volume |
How the cards are printed
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Offset / laminated PVC | Artwork is printed to sheets, laminated into the card body, then die cut | Full-bleed color on runs of 100+; the sharpest, longest-lasting result |
| Direct-to-card dye sublimation | A desktop ID printer transfers dye straight onto a blank card | Printing badges in house, one at a time, as people are hired |
| Retransfer | Image is printed to film first, then fused to the card, covering the whole surface | True edge-to-edge in-house printing over smart chips and uneven surfaces |
PVC card printing questions
What is a PVC card?
A PVC card is a plastic card printed on polyvinyl chloride stock, almost always in the CR80 size — 3.375" x 2.125", the same footprint as a credit card. At 30 mil (0.76 mm) it is rigid enough for daily badge use and thin enough for every standard holder, reader and wallet slot.
Do you print variable data like names, photos and barcodes?
Yes. Send a spreadsheet with a row per cardholder and, where needed, a photo file per row, and each card prints with its own name, title, ID number, barcode or QR code. This is how most employee badge and membership card runs are produced.
Can you add a magnetic stripe?
Yes — HiCo (4000 oersted) for access control and anything reissued often, LoCo (300 oersted) for short-life gift and promotional cards. We can also encode the stripe with your data before shipping, or ship the cards unencoded for you to encode in house.
What is the difference between printing cards for me and buying blanks?
If you already run an ID card printer, buy blank CR80 stock and print in house as people join. If you need a finished run with consistent full-bleed artwork, offset or retransfer printing gives a better result than a desktop printer, and you avoid the ribbon cost.
Can cards be slot punched for lanyards?
Yes. Choose a short-side or long-side slot punch, and add badge reels, clips or custom printed PVC lanyards to the same order so everything ships together.
How many PVC cards do I have to order?
Custom printed runs typically start at 100 cards and the price per card drops sharply at 250, 500 and 1,000. Blank stock ships in packs of 100 and cases of 500. For an unusual run size, request a quote.
What file do you need for PVC card printing?
A print-ready PDF at 300 dpi or higher with 1/16" bleed on every edge and important text kept 1/8" inside the trim. Upload it on the product page and the live preview shows exactly where the card will be cut before you order.
Are the cards durable enough for daily badge use?
Yes. 30 mil PVC is waterproof and will not crease or tear. For badges that get swiped and scanned every day, or that need to survive several years, ask about a laminate overlay or PVC-PET composite stock.
Badging a whole organization?
Send us the headcount, whether each card needs a photo, stripe or barcode, and how you want them punched — we quote the printing, encoding and lanyards together, and set up bulk pricing for repeat runs.