Plastic cards

The shape and dimensions of plastic cards were determined by the standards of the banking sector which had introduced the 85,60 x 53,98 x 0,76 mm form. There are, however, many cases where the only limitation as regards the shape of a card or a pendant exists only in imagination. Owing to the most modern die cutting equipment, we are able to offer our Customers products in any form. Regardless of the form, the quality of the cards remains at the highest level. Since it is always we that adjust to our Customers’ expectations, not the other way round, we are prepared for the implementation of both traditional and non-standard solutions.

All stages of the production and personalisation of cards take place under strict supervision of our professionals. First, the cards reach the Design Studio, where they are subject to art processing compliant with the project supplied to us by the Customer. The project is properly adjusted to the specificity of our equipment. The next stage takes place on the production line where printing of cards is executed by merging the printed sheets with layers of laminate. Also at this moment the welding and die cutting of cards takes place. Finally, the products are personalised and packed.

Karty powstają przy wykorzystaniu techniki druku zwanej suchym offsetem. Pozwala na precyzyjne zachowanie kształtów oraz odcieni zgodnie z Cards are made with the application of a technique called dry offset. This allows for precise maintenance of the shapes and shades in accordance with the supplied design. Special paints, intended for the application of prints onto synthetic surfaces, are used in two colour standards (CMYK and Pantone). Colours are made permanent by UV technology that protects them from blurring/smudging already as they leave the printing machine.

Types of plastic cards

Plastic cards with a print

The most popular and at the same time the simplest plastic card contains only elements intended for visual identification. Plastic cards manufactured in such form do not contain either electronic or magnetic data carriers. As a manufacturer, we can observe this type of cards being commonly applied as identification tags or elements of loyalty programmes. The pricelist of plastic cards is varied depending on the complexity and difficulty level of the order execution.

Magnetic cards

A magnetic stripe is one of the commonly used information carriers allowing for the data transmission and read-out with the use of special appliances. Magnetic cards have multiple applications, and are most frequently used in payment systems or in places where there is a developed technical infrastructure for the reading of data from such type of data carrier.

Chip cards

Such a universal information carrier as a chip has led electronic contact cards to have currently multiple applications. Most of the time, chip cards are equipped with one or more printed circuits that ensure a high level of data protection. The advantage of chip cards is the possibility of applying a single data carrier to use many services. Cards of this type are very frequently used in access control, information protection and payment systems.

Electronic proximity cards

Seemingly, proximity cards do not differ from our traditional products. The basic difference lies in the application of a special electronic system that is embedded in the card. This element creates the possibility of using the card data carrier without the necessity of direct contact of the card with the data reader. The proximity cards are often applied as electronic identification tags, library cards, municipal communication cards and payments cards.

Dual cards

Charakterystyczne dla kart dualnych jest zastosowanie w ramach Dual cards are characterised by the application of two interfaces (proximity and contact) within one electronic system. Such cards are perceived as multiple application tools most often used in the identification, access or security systems. Dual cards have been increasingly introduced in governmental programmes, e.g. as health service cards etc.

Hybrid cards

Double protection possessed by hybrid cards ensures their greater functionality. The product is always equipped with two independent information carriers that enable the development of the existing technical infrastructure without the necessity of incurring additional costs connected with printing new cards. This is the solution that provides the possibility of providing the functionality of the data carrier with additional options.

Personalization

Personalization procedure is carried out entirely in our Personalization and Mailing Centre and is fully protected according to the Personal Data Protection Act. All procedures are executed on the strength of the highest international norms and standards. Our Customers’ data security has been always of the highest priority for us.

GRAPHIC PERSONALIZATION – Unique information is placed on a card in a visual form and of any shape and colour. The most common data printed on cards include card number, name and surname, owner’s picture, validity period, bar code. The overprint may be monochromatic or in colour. Graphic personalization uses several methods of putting individual elements on a card:

DOD method – Precise printing using special ink fixed with UV radiation.
Embossing – Inscriptions and numbers pressing.
Thermal printing – Putting on a card a thin layer of colour foil.
Thermo sublimation – colorful printing on a card (e.g. photograph).
Retransfer printing – Placing printed foil on the whole card.

MAGNETIC PERSONALIZATION – Refers to cards which are equipped with magnetic strip and will be used for automatic identification. Information is encoded on a magnetic strip usually together with graphic personalization – during one run through the line to personalization. Nowadays, the most popular are HICO (high coercivity) cards which are more resistant to demagnetization. The strip coercivity rate is high (approximately 4000 Oe) and data is recorded on three tracks: the first allows to record 75 alphanumerical digits, the second – 40 numerical digits, and the third – 107 numerical digits. On the market you can still find LOCO (low coercivity) cards where strip coercivity rate is low (approximately 350 Oe) and therefore are more vulnerable to demagnetization.

ELECTRONIC PERSONALIZATION – Refers to the cards which are equipped with an electronic circuit, i.e. chip cards, proximity cards, hybrid cards and dual cards. Before electronic cards are personalized it is necessary to define the type of electronic circuit and determine data range and application which are going to be recorded in the electronic card memory.

THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES

For several years now we have been working on Cardline Versa system produced by a German company Atlantic Zeiser and it is worth noting that we are one of only 50 companies from all over the world who pride themselves on using this advanced technology. The system is able to personalize up to 40000 cards per hour and it can work on materials of unusual shapes and dimensions. Cardline Versa makes it possible to encode magnetic strip placed in different, non-typical locations on the cards. It should be noted that the scanner allows for one pass personalization of both card sides and this refers to all kinds of cards: gift cards, loyalty cards, member cards, pre-paid cards and any kind of vouchers. The Cardline Versa that we operate has additional equipment which continuously monitors personalization process by means of a camera system. Any errors are reported electronically and failure details are sent to the print repeat system.

Services

In accordance with the strategy of Argo Card, our co-operation with a Customer, by principle, commences at the moment of the production of a plastic card. It is our objective and ambition to propose full, professional and comprehensive service to our Customer., profesjonalnej i kompleksowej usługi.

With reference to the above, Argo Card provides its Customers with a wide range of services based on the Department of Co-packaging, Personalisation and Mailing. Owing to the proper facilities and the qualified staff, we are prepared to execute even the most demanding tasks. Our specialisation is in manual co-packing of packages, packing item using various techniques, an advanced system of distribution and mailing and handling of forms.

We apply advanced IT systems when designing and executing projects. Some of the systems were created solely for the needs of the execution of one, unique project in accordance with the individual expectations of the Customer.

With regard to the high flexibility of both our staff and the production system, we address our offer particularly to the Customers who are demanding and creative, to Customers who expect a business partner demonstrating timely performance and high business culture and who operates on the basis of the highest quality standards.

Matching – completion of package

The inventiveness of marketing agency creators results in the need for manual operations to be performed in relation to an increasing number of packages to be sent, packaging and spatial elements. This particularly concerns unique projects that are executed in both small and large series circulation.

Argo Card possesses three halls of the total area of 1200 m2 where up to 100 labour stands may be activated. The maximum daily capacity of the process reaches even 300 000 packages. Very well organised transport routes both from the production halls and from the supplies storage area make it possible to design and execute an effective process of matching involving Argo Card manufactured elements as well as the entrusted materials.

Should extreme confidentiality be required in relation to a project, the halls may be redesigned in the way that will separate the technological process from other simultaneously conducted projects while limiting the access to the restricted area only for the specially selected staff. This reflects the stringent security policy of Argo Card.

The basic scope of operations executed by Matching Department of Argo Card includes:

packing Customer’s products into Argo Card or Customer provided packaging (cardboard boxes, foil bags, card cases, flexi boxes, packing PVC or PE in thermo shrink foil to join or protect the products),
applying the card on a carrier (a letter, a leaflet or Customer’s other material),
applying self-adhesive, address or protective/sealing labels etc.,
adding samples or free items to the products,
creation of multipacks (consisting of a few uniform products),
preparation of promotion sets,
placing letters or marketing leaflets in envelopes,
unpacking and repacking of products (change of packaging).

Matching Department is also prepared to execute non-standard orders that require good organisation, short time of performance, precision and high quality service.cji jest gotowy do realizacji również nietypowych zleceń wymagających dobrej organizacji, szybkości, precyzji oraz wysokiej jakości.

Packing

PACKING OF CARDS AND PACKS

Depending on the Customer’s expectations, the specificity of the project and the cards’ or packs’ delivery destination, we are able to select the type and size of packaging that best reflects the outlined objective.

Gift cards or loyalty cards are often supplied in predetermined numbers to a certain trade outlet. In order to provide tracking of any individual card or a group of cards, there is a possibility of packing small volumes of cards in separate boxes of 25, 50 or 100 pieces, for instance, and labelling them with a collective EAN13 code that will facilitate Customer’s identification of the cards in a particular box on the basis of the database provided to the Customer.

FOILING

Many Customers wish to have their products packed in thermo shrink foil that protects the products against mechanical damage and weather conditions. We have a special technological line for packing various items in foil of various thicknesses.

FOIL BAG PACKING

To protect the product against abrasions, moisture or damage we propose to pack the products in various size foil bags. Matching may be performed both manually and mechanically. The bags may be made of various types of foil, perforated, with separable or permanent adhesive, with a grip seal or euro hanger.

BLISTERS

Packing a product in blister foil is an interesting solution that is both visually attractive and protects the product against damage or dirt.

We offer our Customers with PET transparent thermally welded blister foil of various shapes.

The blisters on the foil match the size of the packed product. Additionally, in case of a product designed to be displayed in shops they may be equipped with euro hanger.

Our co-operation with the Customer includes our technical assistance in designing the blister foil and the preparation of a sample packaging for the Customer’s acceptance.

Mailing

When our cards are produced and personalized they are ready to be delivered to their end users. Our Customers may send out directly or use our Mailing Centre. We can offer professional consulting in the field of preparation of mailing pack, as well as its layout and content and preparation of the graphic design for particular mailing elements. Our Partners may also rely on us during production of mailing materials (formatting mailing envelopes, accompanying letters and leaflets), as well as printing accompanying letters and inserting individual data, based on the database supplied by the Customer. Moreover, our offer includes also application of plastic cards into the accompanying letter or any other promotional material, as well as preparing and sending by post mail.

Forms handling and administration

Loyalty Systems or fleet programmes require the appropriate handling of personal data. The offer of Argo Card includes a comprehensive service related to the process of circulation of the application forms, the database generation and data hosting facility.

We employ experienced staff and possess the appropriate technical base. The internal organisation of our company, our IT solutions and server infrastructure meet all the requirements of the regulations concerning personal data processing and protection.

Initiating the co-operation with Argo Card, you may rest assured that your personal databases will be safe with us. We are ready to provide you with and share our experience derived from many years of our handling the application forms. In the Internet era, the matters connected with personal data processing are constantly evolving. Meeting the individual needs of our Customers we are open to new proposals and willing to face new challenges in this field.

IT Systems

AC Solutions is a brand built on the basis of the experience of the professionals who have been designing and administering IT systems within Argo Card for many years now. The systems have been supporting the supply of services connected with plastic cards personalisation as well as the handling of loyalty and fleet programmes. CRM and gift cards management systems developed by our team, loyalty programmes as well as dedicated platforms of supporting marketing campaigns provided the basis for the advanced AC Solution IT services including such brands as GiftPlus or LoyaltyPlus.

High expectations related to quality, reliability and safety procedures enabled us the preparation of an advanced range of IT solutions to support marketing programmes based on a personalised plastic card.

With the development of our IT competences our modern technical base has been created. Cutting edge server facilities located in properly prepared and secured rooms owned by Argo Card make us a trustworthy partner providing remote IT and data hosting services.

The strictly applied safety policy of Argo Card related to GIODO directives as well as the systematic safety audits enable us to meet high expectations concerning the reliability of data systems and safety that are expected of us by our business Partners.

Database

We are aware that in every business activity the most important element is information we hold on our customers.

Our employees strictly follow all the procedures and the installed monitoring systems guarantee the highest security of data.

Our new Personalization and Mailing Centre which occupies an area of about 3000 m2 was designed to live up to the most severe security standards specified by international standards and institutions providing certification. In addition, with a view to guaranteeing our Customers’ data security, we took into consideration national standards, especially the Personal Data Protection Act of 29th August 1997.

Data and product security is guaranteed by different multi-level security and monitoring systems, such as:

Access to every area is controlled by an access control system.
12 zones of limited access with system monitoring personnel movement.
25 CCTV cameras monitoring and recording the respective areas continuously.
One-way personal locks.
Security guards are present at the site 24/7;
Professional mechanical protection (locks, gratings, safety glass, doors and gates).
Physically separated computer network.
Continuous personnel training on data security.

Since our Customers repose confidence in us and let us operate their databases, the word “security” is of a fundamental importance to us.

When creating applications which utilize databases we use special licensed software that is adjusted to our customer’s needs and requirements by our professional IT specialists.