Our culture and plastic cards

Hi, I’m Rachael Reinert, Marketing Manager for Teraco, an industry leading full service plastic card manufacturer. My team spearheads all advertising and promotional initiatives such as this one. See, this stuff really works! 

I have a passion for consumer behaviors and I enjoy connecting with our customers and developing marketing resources that communicate the value we bring to the table…above and beyond our product offerings. I enjoy learning about and creating unique promotional uses for plastic cards. Please share your stories and I’ll post mine.

Also, I am Toastmaster www.toastmasters.org, a volunteer, a wife, a dog owner, a foodie, a wine snob, an avid reader and a life-long learner. 

• Make supporters feel like their donation counts
• Help contributors stay connected the organization and the cause throughout the year
• Remind donors when it's time to contribute for the next year
• Advertise other programs and dates specific to the organization

• Arcade Cards
• Ticket Cards
• Season Pass Cards
• Membership Cards
• Gift & Loyalty Cards
• Custom plastic employee ID and access cards
• Plastic ID Badges
• Custom keytag solutions

• Mailing & Fulfillment
• Enviro Solutions
• Doing Our Part - Consumer Recycling Program

• Hospital staff secure access cards
• Employee ID Cards
• Employee discount cards
• Employee name badges
• Professional plastic business cards
• Medical ID cards and custom key tags
• Organ Downer Cards
• Heart Patient ID cards
• Diabetic ID cards
• Medical implant ID cards
• Plastic insurance card
• Plastic prescription card
• Prescription drug free trial and discount cards
• Custom plastic appointment cards

• Plastic business cards
• Plastic membership cards
• Plastic insurance cards
• plastic identification cards
• Business luggage tags
• Custom printed key tags
• Plastic hotel key cards
• And more

• medical card printing
• key card printing
• plastic insurance cards
• plastic identification cards
• plastic emergency procedures cards
• group contact info and phone list cards
• custom plastic ID Cards
• Plastic ID Badges
• and other promotional card printing

Black, my favorite color, is sleek and stylish.  It portrays exclusivity, elegance and panache.  



Naturally many plastic card issuers ask for a black printed plastic card because of this "cool factor."  The problem with plastic cards featuring a black imprint is that the black,  causes every scratch and fingerprint to show.  Nothing is hidden and every imperfection is on display. 

Teraco recommends a matte finish which ads a texture and will hide all scratches associated with manufacturing as well as normal wear and tear. 

Another solution is to use a mix of other colors.  It is still possible to achieve an overall sleek effect using predominately black but still incorporating other colors to break up the amount of continuous black.  Teraco's creative service team can answer questions and make more specific recommendations based on your artwork or overall design.

We also help with the design of your

• Custom hotel key cards
• Custom membership card program
• Custom plastic business cards
• Custom printed key tags
• Frequent shipper cards
• Custom plastic gift cards
• And more

Art Consideration for Clear Cards
Art on one side will appear on the reverse side of a clear substrate.  Therefore, additional steps must be taken with the design progression as well as the manufacturing process so that the overall desired effect can still be achieved.
 

• Design - In terms of the design, the artwork on back of the card must occupy a similar space as the artwork on the front.  Because the artwork will show through on the reverse side any part of an image that bleeds over the common space will compromise the look of the artwork on the opposite side.  Because of this tedious design process and the time involved, you are likely to pay more for artwork.  Also, the artwork will need to be designed or manipulated by the manufacturer that will print the clear cards as they know best how the artwork will reproduce using their equipment.
   
• Make Room for the Magnetic Stripe - If your clear card requires the functionality of a magnetic stripe or bar code this must also be accounted for in the design.  Starbucks often uses a colored magnetic stripe that compliments the overall color scheme so when it shows through on the front it doesn't look out of place.  A colored magnetic stripe is a custom process with a setup fee.  Therefore this solution is not best for small quantities.

• Production - Clear cards typically go through an extra pass on the press during the production.  This process is to put a white coat of ink on one side of the clear card before printing the artwork.  This creates a separation between the color images on both sides so that each piece of art will not be affected by whatever is printed on the back.  Sometime by not doing this you may run into problems such as not being able to read the rules and regulations on the back of the card, or colors compromised by the artwork on the reverse side i.e. if one side has blue artwork and one side has red artwork, the image on both sides can appear purple if the white coat is not added provide the neutral background in between. 
   
• Added Costs - It can be difficult for clients to understand why a clear card is so much more expensive  than a standard plastic card especially in quantities under 10,000.  However, when shoppers and gift givers select your sleek, cool clear card over the competition, the extra cost just paid for itself. 

• Custom membership cards
• Custom plastic business cards
• Custom plastic gift & loyalty cards
• Frequent Shopper Cards
• Advertising hotel keycards
• Promotional cards
• And more...

• Show the URL and give details about when the pictures would be available for order and online viewing
• Outline our new address and contact information

• Security ID/Access Cards
• Government issued ID cards
• Gas Cards
• Financial Cards
• College ID/Access Cards

• Membership Cards
• Loyalty Cards
• Gift Cards
• Coupon Cards
• Discount Cards
• Hotel Key Cards

1. The point of sale system
2. The processing software (within the POS)
3. Real time bookkeeping/stored value management

• Once a retailer chooses a gift and loyalty package from a processor they are ready to order plastic magnetic stripe cards.
• Some processors supply the cards as part of the processing package and contractually bind retailers and service providers from using a third party source for plastic cards.
• This, of course, is because processors make a healthy commission on the cards that they are not willing to give up.  The answer you or your client will likely hear in this scenario from a processor is, "Only our cards are guaranteed to work in our systems."  However, the truth is that any reputable card manufacturer will guarantee their products.

• Paytronix (this company provides gift and loyalty solutions for restaurant merchants only)
• Fifth Third Gift Card Processing (gift card solutions only)
• Smart Transaction Systems (gift card solutions only)
• We can recommend other vendors for your specific processing needs.  Call today to speak to one of our sales experts. 

• Additional ideas and promotional uses for plastic cards
• For more information about custom key tag and promotional card printing
• Or to inquire about our custom plastic business cards

• Quality - Inferior cards can send the wrong message.  Chose credit card quality and thickness to capitalize on the value associated with payment cards.  Members need to feel valued and a quality plastic member card will help you achieve that.

• Personalization - We all like to see our name in lights.  This element adds a personal touch and makes the program come to life.

• Authentication - Adding a security feature in the membership card printing process; you communicate additional value and exclusivity.  A simple signature panel on a plastic membership card will yield a secure, high-end result.  This can also add to the usability of a membership program as a signed card can be used as credentials for your various events and functions.

Plastic cards are infused in our culture. We use them for promotion, advertising, identification, access, payment, insurance, medical, membership credentials etc. 

So now the question becomes what do we do with them after they expire or when they are used up?
 

Teraco addresses this concern with a closed loop recycling program. As an environmentally responsible manufacturer of custom gift cards, custom printed keytags and other plastic card products, we recycle our own scrap associated with the production and printing of our plastic card products such as plastic member cards. 

But then we take it a step further by partnering with our card issuing clients. Those participants send used cards back to us and we reuse and reprint on the plastic creating a true recycled plastic card made from a blend of both pre and post consumer recycled plastic. Ultimately this is a better earth friendly option than using a food product as a substrate for a card product such as corn.  Because of world hunger corn cards essentially create another moral dilemma.

We will continue to look for new ways to recycle but the most creative and beautiful methods for plastic card recycling comes from these artists.

Their products are available online…

Gift Card Chandelier Earrings

These earrings are made from an old Dave & Busters card, copper wire, and an assortment of blue and orange beads. They are one of my first pieces from a soon-to-be collection of items made from old gift and credit cards. I really enjoy making these pieces and hope you will enjoy wearing them just as much!

These chandelier earrings are certain to grab some attention and boast your unique, fun, fearless & environmentally-friendly sense of style!

Measures about 3 1/8" from top of ear wire to bottom of earring.

jessiekatz.etsy.com

Glass Tile Pendant Made From Recycled Gift Card--Blue Flower

We are keeping used gift cards out of landfills by using them to create beautiful jewelry!

This pendant features light blue flower with dark blue dots on a light blue and white background. The back of the tile shows that a gift card provided the color and design.

The glass tile measures 7/8" x 7/8". The tile is 1/4" thick. The bail is silver plated and is securely glued into place. The tile pendant comes with a 24" silver plate ball chain. You may use wire snippers to cut the chain to your desired length.

The pendant is not water proof.

Each tile pendant and chain is packaged in a kraft recycled paper pillow box. A card tucked inside describes how the tile is made from recycled components.

This pendant makes a unique and affordable gift for the Holidays--teachers, co-workers, friends, and family!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6036799

Current economic conditions have undoubtedly impacted promotional budgets. But here is an opportunity to adopt a fresh perspective, evaluate new ideas and deploy different approaches in order to reach your goals. 

Plastic card programs such as promotional and loyalty card programs provide a high impact, low unit cost solutions to help you get more from less. 

1.       Loyalty Card Programs

Customer loyalty is an increased focus in a down economy as businesses try to hang on to and get more from the customers they have. Loyalty Cards are a huge proponent of customer retention. Derivatives of the loyalty card concept also include…

·         Coupon Cards

·         Discount Cards

·         Frequent Shopper Cards

·         Membership Cards

·         Key Ring Tags

 

2.       Plastic Business Cards

In our culture plastic cards are most commonly used as payment devices such as gift cards, debit cards, credit cards etc. It’s ingrained in our heads that plastic cards have value because we use them interchangeably as cash. Delivering your promotional message on this same platform can be very powerful.

3.       Promotional Cards

A plastic card is portable durable document. Essentially a plastic card is a flyer only it doesn’t get thrown away which makes it the perfect solution for anything you’re looking to advertise or promote.

·         Website

·         Event

·         Important info

o   Emergency procedures

o   Group phone numbers

o   Instructions

o   Top 10 lists