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 identity cards, previllige 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 are going to dive into the PVC card print quality of thermal and inkjet printers. Usually, PVC card are printed using 2 different digital printing technology 1. Dye Sublimation Printing Technology and 2. Piezoelectric Technology.
Thermal Printed (PVC Card)
✓ Vibrant & permanent print
✓ No ink bleeding
✓ Scratch-free, waterproof print
✓ Long-lasting print
✓ Rasin ink (ribbon) transfer used (solid form)
✓ 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 to be scratched on printed card
✓ Faded over the time
✓ Water-based ink (liquid ink)
✓ Very low printing cost
✓ Ink applied in the form of 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. 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 Charectorstick
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.
