What is offset printing?

Offset printing, also referred to as offset lithography, is a type of printing process used by virtually all large commercial printers. It is called offset, because the ink is not directly pressed onto the paper, but is distributed from a metal plate to a rubber mat where it is then set onto the paper.

Offset printing can be done on a web printing press, one that use huge rolls of continuously fed paper, or a sheet fed press that, as you would expect, uses sheets of paper. Both types of presses produce printed materials that can be cut to size after printing. Offset printing uses all of the latest technology in printing, including computers that aid in design. Computers are also used to generate instructions for the mixture of ink colors as well as their distribution to the paper.

Offset printing works because water and the inks used in the printing process do not mix. The images to be printed are created on the computer and then "burned" onto metal plates using a chemical developing process similar to photography. The metal plates are dampened with water which adheres to the areas without images. The ink is added next, one color at a time, where it sticks to the areas with images. The most modern systems use a direct-to-plate system in which the images are burned directly to the metal plates; the omission of a secondary step saves time and money.

The colors used in offset printing are usually Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, represented with the letter K (CMYK). Note that K is used to represent black to ensure that there isn't any confusion with blue. Different percentages of each of these four colors create virtually every color used in offset printing. There are color matching systems, such as the PANTONE® system, that allows print buyers to see the color. The code for that color can be entered into the offset printer's computer and it will calculate the percentages of each color to be used.

The technology behind offset printing allows large volumes of printing to be completed quickly and without any variations in ink distribution. The final printed materials produced through offset lithography also dry quickly, keeping the production process moving smoothly from the printing to the finish work of cutting and binding materials.

Barry Wong

T: 00852 35908239 | F: 00852 65593828 | E:sales01@fortunecardtech.com

U:www.fortunecardtech.com  www.hkcardsfactory.com

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Fortune Card-Tech Ltd

Rm 1901, Wealth Commercial Centre, 48 Kwong Wa Street, MongKok, Hong Kong 

HOW TO CHOOSE A PLASTIC CARD SUPPLIER

You’ve decided to make the switch from paper to plastic for your business cards, gift cards or membership cards. But how do you go about choosing a supplier for your new plastic cards? We’ve put together a list of the four most important considerations when choosing a plastic card supplier to help you compare apples to apples.

1. Turnaround

When contacting a prospective plastic card supplier either online or by phone, ask about their turnaround time. In the plastic cards industry, turnaround time can vary depending on the number of cards you are ordering, print options and whether you have artwork ready to go or need design assistance. Make sure you provide each company with as much information on the specifics of the card you are ordering as possible. This will help ensure that your quotes are as comparable as possible.

2. Price

Again, you will want to provide each company with the same details on exactly what you are looking for in a plastic card. Options that can affect the price of your card include the type of card (standard, die-cut, breakaway, etc.), thickness of the card, the size of the card and printing options (embossing, barcode, hologram, etc.).

3. Quality

How can you tell the quality ofproduct when placing an order over the phone or online? Ask about the type of plastic used for making their cards. Are they using PVC, PETG or ABS plastic? And what grade? ABS offers the highest quality, and if your card needs extra durability (credit cards, ID cards, membership cards), you will want to make sure they offer ABS plastic cards. On the other hand, for a single-use card like a gift card, you will want a grade A PVC. Any reputable company will send you a sample pack of their cards. Ordering a plasticcards sample pack will allow you to feel and visually inspect and compare the quality of the company’s cards. You will want to look at the cut. Are there rounded cuts around the entire edge or are the edges rough and bumpy? What type of printer are they using? For the very finest printing quality available, make sure they’re using a Heidelberg, the best in the business.

4. Customer Service

When asking questions before you order, note how timely and friendly the company’s response is. Ask about their return and cancellation policies. If they are creating the design for you, what happens if you don’t like the design? A reputable plastic card supplier will offer unlimited design revisions. If you take into consideration these four items when comparing plastic card suppliers, you’ll have a much better chance of picking a company that will provide you with a quality plastic card and experience.

Barry Wong

T:00852 35908239| F:00852 65593828 | E:sales01@fortunecardtech.com U:www.fortunecardtech.com  www.hkcardsfactory.com

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Fortune Card-Tech Ltd

Rm 1901, Wealth Commercial Centre, 48 Kwong Wa Street, MongKok, Hong Kong

Paper or Plastic? The Advantage of Plastic Cards

There was a time when associations and retailers issued paper cards to their members and valued customers, respectively. The primary reason was that it was easier, faster, and less expensive to use paper.

That was then. This is now.

Plastic card printing has undergone a revolution. With the concern for saving paper and the ability to recycle plastic for reuse, plastic has become not only the smarter choice, but more cost-efficient one.

Plastic cards can be preprinted in bulk, much like you would have done with your paper cards, so that they can be imprinted later. With the affordability and ease of plastic card printers, you can now produce a customized membership, loyalty, or gift card in just a couple of minutes—in full color, one- or two-sided, with or without a magnetic stripe, and even with a photograph. And the appearance of the durable plastic card presents a more impressive reflection of your brand than the paper one. Look in your wallet. How many dog-eared paper cards do you have? Compare that with the number of loyalty and membership cards.

Plastic is clearly the better solution for card printing. There is a wide array of plastic card printers available, too, so whether you print just a few cards a week or hundreds, you can get a printer that fits your needs.

Barry Wong

T:00852 35908239| F:00852 65593828 | E:sales01@fortunecardtech.com U:www.fortunecardtech.com  www.hkcardsfactory.com

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Fortune Card-Tech Ltd

Rm 1901, Wealth Commercial Centre, 48 Kwong Wa Street, MongKok, Hong Kong

What Are Holographic Cards?

Holographic cards are hard pieces of cardboard and papers that have shiny, metallic images on them. Sometimes the images can move and even change into other images when the cards are repositioned and turned toward certain angles. In other cases, the images do not change, but appear three-dimensional, moving and turning in different angles and looking like they float just above the card. Holographic cards are also usually colorful, with the colors slightly changing if the card is moved from side to side. One can think of a holographic card as an updated version of a photograph that only captures an image in 2D.

The concept of holograms can be likened to how the eyes see three-dimensional images. The left eye sees an image in one angle, while the right eye sees the image in another angle. When the brain receives these images, it combines them and turns them into one 3D image. When the person shifts at another angle, the brain does the same process and presents the image in another perspective. Holographic cards operate in similar methods in that they record several angles on paper, hence the 3D effects of the images.

Capturing images on holographic cards can require certain tools such as the holographic film, a red laser, mirrors, lenses, and a half-mirror, which is a glass with a coating of silver on half of its surface. The red laser is aimed at the half-mirror, making half of the light beam pass through the glass, and the other half is then reflected to another mirror due to the silver coating. The reflected half-beam is again reflected to another mirror, which then angles the said half-beam to hit directly at the object. The half-beam then bounces from the object towards the holographic film.

The other half-beam that passed through the half-mirror is also reflected by another mirror, which then angles the beam towards the holographic film as well. The image on holographic cards is finally created when both the half-beams hit the holographic film, producing the 3D image. In this way, both the half-beams somehow act similarly as the eyes, seeing the image in different angles through several mirrors.

To create clear images on the holographic cards, it is best to do the whole process in a very dark room. All the tools should also be placed on a flat surface and must remain unmoved; even the slightest vibration from a footstep or breathing can possibly distort the image on the card. Many holography studios have customized tables that contain absorbers underneath to reduce vibration.

Holographic cards have much usage, particularly for security reasons. Companies and organizations issue holographic identification cards that are hard to copy by counterfeiters. The hologram process can even place some data that only computers can read, keeping private information as such.

Barry Wong

T:00852 35908239| F:00852 65593828 | E:sales01@fortunecardtech.com | U:www.fortunecardtech.com  www.hkcardsfactory.com

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Fortune Card-Tech Ltd

Rm 1901, Wealth Commercial Centre, 48 Kwong Wa Street, MongKok, Hong Kong

METALLIC-COATED CARDS

Metallic-Coated plastic cards are gaining popularity amongst businessmen, companies, as well as individuals who want to stand-out over the rest. People who are tired of the common stereotype card design and material.
 
Metallic-Coated cards are available in different top coating: 
Silver (fine-finish), Silver (coarse-finish), Gold (fine-finish), and Gold (coarse-finish). These cards are printed on the surface of 760 micron PVC plastic material (credit card quality). It has a world-class characteristic and vibrant finish making it extraordinary.

Metallic-Coated cards are ideal for use as VIP card, Membership card, Loyalty card, Discount card, Business card, Smart card, RFID card, Hotel card and Gift card.

It’s impressive, durable, and fade-proof!

 

Barry Wong

T:00852 35908239| F:00852 65593828 |U:www.fortunecardtech.com  www.hkcardsfactory.com

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Fortune Card-Tech Ltd

Rm 1901, Wealth Commercial Centre, 48 Kwong Wa Street, MongKok, Hong Kong

30 Creative Plastic Business Cards

Plastic business cards are wider and wider used these days. These kind of business cards have a series of advantages over classic business cards such as durability and from the designer’s point of view, the use of transparency. The developments in printing technology make plastic business cards printing cheaper than ever before making them a real alternative for classic business cards.

If you like business cards inspiration you might also like our previous articles on cool business cards, creative business cards, black and white business cards.

Below you can find a showcase of 30 beautifully designed plastic business cards :

White shaded business card with areas of complete transparency.

                   

                          The perforations on the left side of this card accentuate its message.

Beautiful 3 colors square business cards.

A bit of usability and humor integrated in the business card above. This effect would have been very hard to obtain with a traditional business card.

Amazing business card where the letters can be taken of the card and used to assemble different things as shown above.

Plastic cards are also available with glossy finishes.

Example of QR code usage on plastic business cards.

Plastic business cards can also be made flexible as the example above.

Beautiful and creative business card made to look as an x-ray. Another example of creativity only available in plastic designs.

Multi-color printing is also available for plastic cards.

Barry Wong

T:00852 35908239| F:00852 65593828 |U:www.fortunecardtech.com  www.hkcardsfactory.com

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Fortune Card-Tech Ltd

Rm 1901, Wealth Commercial Centre, 48 Kwong Wa Street, MongKok, Hong Kong

Advantages of Loyalty Cards

Loyalty card

Loyalty cards are a fantastic way to generate extra business and work well as a simple marketing tool to spread the word about your company.

The idea of loyalty cards is simple. When a customer visits your shop and makes a purchase, they get a stamp on their card. Several returns and purchases later, they can then redeem the card for a “reward” of goods or services. Many businesses find that loyalty card schemes increase sales through existing customers and attract new ones as well.

The following are other potential advantages of using loyalty cards as part of your business marketing.

Advantages of Loyalty Cards

• Customer Retention – a loyalty card program is not only a good way to get new customers, it’s also a tried-and-trusted method of keeping them.
• Increase Frequent Sales – loyalty card systems encourage customers to come back more often to take advantage of your special offers/discounts/rewards. The more the shop, the more they get in return.
• Increased Product Awareness – loyalty card schemes can be an excellent way to increase your product awareness. It might encourage customers to try something new by simply offering them the chance to get one for free. For example, if you ran a coffee shop, you could offer one of your tasty muffins for free with every 5 stamps (1 cup of coffee=1 stamp). Customers might love the muffins so much, they’ll purchase them next time they come in for a coffee. Changing the reward every now and then keeps things fresh and increases knowledge of your products.
• Increased Reach – loyal customers who enjoy your rewards might encourage their friends to join in. You could encourage ‘recommendations’ by offering special discounts or extras for loyal customers. For example – recommend a friend and get an extra stamp on your card.
• Know Your Customer – through your loyalty card scheme you can track and analyse your customers shopping habits and adjust your loyalty offers to match their needs. You can then adjust your marketing plan to capitalise on this.
• Customer Loyalty/Happiness – loyalty card schemes are excellent for making a customer feel important and relevant. Customer happiness is important as it keeps them coming back for more and telling their friends and family.

 If you’re thinking about running a loyalty card scheme, we have a range of loyalty card stamps andloyalty card embossing presses which can be used with your custom loyalty cards. These will help your business stand out and your card stand out from the rest in your customers’ wallet.

Barry Wong | Marketing

T:00852 35908239| F:00852 65593828 | E:sales01@fortunecardtech.com U:http://www.fortunecardtech.com http://www.hkcardsfactory.com

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Fortune Card-Tech Ltd

Rm 1901, Wealth Commercial Centre, 48 Kwong Wa Street,MongKok, Hong Kong