One of the most common questions we’re asked is ‘Is it possible to print paper cards in a plastic card printer?’
Until recently we would have to say no. Or rather, if you own a Evolis Primacy 2 ID Card Printer it is possible to print on a paper card – but only using a special ribbon, particular cards and only in black print.
But that has now all changed with the introduction of the Enviricard®.
A truly green alternative to PVC
Enviricard® is brought to us by the same people that make the Green Gift Card, who are known for their impressive environmental credentials.
They are 100% plastic free; made from renewable and sustainable sources (FSC certified). The factory that manufactures them is one of the world’s most environmentally friendly paper mills that’s powered by bio energy.
The biodegradable cellulose coating also means that the cards are waterproof.
They are also fully recyclable and compostable in normal household waste streams.
What type of cards is Enviricard® best suited to?
As you’d expect, you won’t get the same shelf life from a paperboard card as you would from PVC, but we think you’ll be surprised by how rigid and durable they are.
We think they're perfect for limited use or temporary cards such as:
- Gift Cards
- Visitor Badges
- Delegate Name Badges
- Temporary Membership Cards.
Are there any limitations to printing on Enviciards®?
Enviricards® don’t cope well with large concentrated blocks of colour or flood filled backgrounds, so we would recommend adjusting your design if you need to. They will only work with direct-to-card (dye sublimation ID printers) and not retransfer printers. You’ll get a good quality of print but it probably won’t be as sharp or vibrant as with a PVC card.
You may need to adjust your ID card printer settings slightly; we recommend checking your ID card printer manual for more information.
One other thing that it’s important to point out is Printer Compatibility.
Enviricard® say that they will work with ‘most’ dye sublimation printers.
We know from Enviricard® official literature (and our own testing) that these cards are compatible Magicard Pronto100, 300 and 600 ID Printers. We are also confident that they will print well on the Matica MC Series. But we haven’t been able to exhaustively test them on other models.
Will QR codes or Barcodes print ok?
In the tests that we’ve run, QR codes and Barcodes come out fine. Enviricard® recommend a size of 25 x 25mm for a QR code, and an area of 25 x 11mm for a barcode. They say that text can be printed as small as 6pt, but that will really depend on the font you’re using.
Worth giving them a try?
You can currently pick up a pack of 100 Enviricard® for less than £14.00, so we'd say so.
