Blank PVC card materials are intensely made to keep in mind the print application technology to be applied to them. Ideally, these PVC cards are used for printing identity cards, privilege cards, smart business cards, digital data transfers, door access cards (lock or unlock digitally), etc. Blank plastic cards come with plain, inbuilt NFC and RFID-powered (inside chip from sides).
7 Key Differences Between Thermal and Inkjet-Printed PVC Card
Here, we will dive into thermal transfer print, inkjet prints, and PVC card material quality. Usually, PVC cards are printed using 2 different digital printing technologies 1. Dye Sublimation Printing Technology and 2. Piezoelectric Technology.
Thermal Transfer Printed (PVC Card)
✓ Vibrant & permanent print
✓ No ink bleeding
✓ Scratch-free, waterproof, fadeproof print
✓ Long-lasting print
✓ Rasin ink (solid ink) thermal transfer (ribbon)
✓ Print cost per unit: high but high accuracy print
✓ Print becomes a permanent part of PVC card materials.
✓ Clear and crisp small-size print details
Inkjet-Printed (PVC Card)
✓ Comparatively less vibrant than thermally printed
✓ During inkjet print, you need to care not to let the ink bleed
✓ High chance of being scratched on the printed card during card handling
✓ Faded over the time
✓ Water-based ink (liquid ink)
✓ Very low printing cost
✓ Ink applied in the form of the fountain on the top layer of PVC card
✓ Little messy print
Sublimation Printable PVC Card Feature
Special PVC cards for sublimation printing are made of 0.80 mm thick with round corners, size 54 mm x 86 mm, with both sides printable. The top surface is polyester-coated to make surface sublimation printing capable. Plastic (polyvinyl chloride) is moulded from the edges and is very smooth with upper high-coating polyester to accept sublimation ink. Sometimes inside an NFC, an RFID chip is molded.
Sublimation printing needed only super-white PVC cards to produce an impactful card printing result. During thermal sublimation, print design ink becomes a permanent part of plastic materials. Evolis, Data Card and Zebra thermal printers are the best for making student ID cards, Adhaar cards, etc.
Inkjet Printable PVC Card Charector Stick
Ordinary white PVC cards are printed using inkjet printing technology (piezoelectric). Ink is applied in the form of a thin layer. A smoother plain card gets better print results on PVC cards. Get a high-quality 6-ink tank printer. EPSON models L805 and L8050 are the best printers. Inkjet printers are slow printing machines compared to thermal sublimation printers.
Ask me which type of printed PVC card is best for you in terms of print cost per unit and print quality.
