Our service is calculated from when we receive your print ready artwork or artwork sign off. Cut off for providing artwork is 12pm GMT. If we receive your artwork sign off after 12pm your job is rolled over to the next working day/3 days depending on the service you’ve selected. For example :
- Express Service : Artwork sign off received 11am Monday – cards shipped Tuesday latest. 1pm Monday - cards shipped Wednesday latest.
- Standard Service : Artwork sign off received 11am Monday – cards shipped Friday latest. 1pm Monday - cards shipped following Monday latest.
NB. Weekends and bank holidays are not classed as working days.
Why ID Card Centre?
FAQs
Our high-quality cards are printed on premium white PVC Fotodek cards to ensure a superior print finish and longer lasting cards. All of our cards have a lifespan of at least 3 years but typically last longer than this. If you require a much longer lasting card let us know so we can recommend suitable print and lamination options.
Your cards can feature any design and data that you wish, although please note our guidance on fake IDs above, including photos, images, text, barcodes and certain security features.
If you're looking for something a little different, we have a range of coloured card options however these are not always suitable for printing photos and certain logos on to so if you're hoping for a vibrant, full-colour card we can talk you through various options and solutions. Please contact us to discuss.
You may choose to design the cards yourself (in which case please read our guidelines) or alternatively, our bureau team can design them for you and will work closely with you to achieve the perfect layout.
Yes. If you need your cards to be smart cards we can provide contactless, chip and magnetic stripe cards that are compatible with most systems, in particular, MIFARE®, Paxton, HID, Cotag, Indala, Keri, ACT, PAC, TDSi and Guardall. Again, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
We can incorporate security features into your ID card design including guilloche, UV, micro text, holofoil or hologram, embossing and tipping as well as signature panels (with additional anti-forgery techniques built into that if required). Finally, if you need braille on your cards we can offer this as well!
Yes, our printed card call-off service allows you to prepay for a minimum of 50 cards and then request however many you need when you need them. For more information, visit our call-off service page.
Due to the nature of all thermal print processes, the use of pure white elements on a card design can result in what we would call ‘compensation fade’ where faint lines are visible beside the white element. This occurs as a result of the heating elements in the printer momentarily cooling as the white elements don’t require any print on the card. Then the elements must heat which, although is a very fast process, can’t happen instantly- in the same way that a radiator doesn’t reach temperature immediately when switched on. The effect is only minor in most cases but is nevertheless something to consider when designing your ID cards.
To minimise this effect, try to avoid placing pure white elements on a field of solid colour. Instead of pure white areas, consider using a slightly off-white colour that still appears to be white but requires print onto the card. Below is an example of a design where the effect has occurred and how it could be avoided or minimised.
On this design, you can see that there are very faint faded areas in line with the ‘Simple Sample Co.’ logo because it is a pure white element. | Here, the design has been modified slightly to account for this by removing the block colour background. Block colour backgrounds are still achievable, by all means. Just ensure that any white areas have a slight grey tint so that print is still required in that area. |