Identification Cards

Identification Cards

Not all identification cards are created equal. Some ID cards have - right from the start - rough edges. They're made of poor-quality plastic. This keeps them from taking the printed image well, and results in a blurred picture.

Identification Card Dimensions

Top-notch plastic identification cards can be made from PVC, or a PVC composite. They can come in a variety of thicknesses, ranging from 10 to 50 mils (1 mil = 1/1000 of an inch.). 30 mil cards are the standard thickness for ID cards. A card of 20 or 24 mils will be more flexible, because of its thinner girth. Cards of 10 mil - about the thickness of one sheet of heavy paper - are often used as business cards, while cards that are 50 mils thick usually contain some type of radio-frequency circuitry.

Plastic cards are also made with different dimensions. CR79 cards, designed to become proximity cards, are 3.303" x 2.051" (83.9 mm x 51 mm). CR80 cards are 3.375" x 2.125" (85.6 mm x 54 mm), which is the industry's standard dimension; CR90 cards are slightly larger than the CR80 at 3.63" x 2.37" (92 mm x60 mm); CR100 cards, which are sometimes referred to as Oversize or Military-sized cards, are 3.88" x 2.63" (98.5 mm x 67 mm).

Security Features

Different ID cards and badges come with different types of security features as well. Security is a top priority for certain industries and certain types of cards are uniquely suited to address this priority. Two security features delivered as part of cards themselves - as opposed to features added later - are color shifting and micro text.

Micro text is also sometimes known as nano text. With this security feature, PVC or composite cards are pre-printed with very tiny text, which can only be read with the aid of magnification or under a special type of light. With color shifting, an image is printed within the layers of the card itself. This image is printed with specialty ink which changes color as the position of the card shifts in relation to a light source. Because the color shifting image lies within the layers of the ID card, it can't be scratched away. This too is a very difficult feature to reproduce.