Access Control Cards
Plastic cards used to gain access to premises, usually associated with magnetic stripe and proximity cards.
Bar Code
An array of machine-readable rectangular bars and spaces arranged in a specific way defined in international standards to represent letters, numbers, and other human-readable symbols.
Digital Imaging
Scanning or otherwise capturing images which may be subsequently edited, filed, displayed or printed on a plastic card.
Dye Sublimation
An imaging method for transferring controlled quantities of printer ribbon dye onto a plastic card. Because of the print head resolution (300 dpi), photographic quality results.
Encoding
The process of electronically “writing” information on magnetic stripes or smart card chips.
Font
A character set (alphabet and numerals) of a specified design and size.
Hologram
A unique photographic printing that provides a three-dimensional effect on a flat surface. Holograms cannot be easily copied and are used for security and aesthetic purposes on cards.
Image Capture System
A hardware and software system used to obtain and save personal data and cardholder photographic images.
Lamination
The process of combining lamination material and core material using time, heat and pressure. Laminate patches used in card printers come on rolls, with and without carriers/liners.
Machine-Readable
A code or characters that can be read by machines.
Magnetic Stripe
Magnetic material, applied as a strip in the surface of a card, used to encode cardholder information.
Memory Card
A type of smart card. Also known as a synchronous card, it features memory and is suitable for use as a token card or identification card.
Microprocessor Card
A type of smart card, also known as an asynchronous card. Features memory, a microprocessor and is suitable for portable or confidential files, identification, tokens, electronic purse or any combination of uses.
Overlay Varnish
A thin transparent layer applied (using the print head) to cards to resist scratching and fading from exposure to UV radiation.
Resolution
Dimension of the smallest element of an image that can be printed. Usually stated as dots-per-inch (dpi).
Prox Card
Short for Proximity card; a form of contactless smart card used for access control applications. Embedded in the card is a metallic antenna coil, which allows it to communicate with an external antenna. Because the cards require only close “proximity” to a RF antenna to be read, they are also referred to as contactless cards.
PVC
Polyvinyl Chloride. The primary material used for typical plastic cards.
Smart Card/Contact Smart Card
Also called a “chip” card or IC card. A plastic card with an embedded microchip, which may be used to store information about the cardholder or record card transactions as they occur.
Thermal Printing
The process of creating an image on a plastic card using a heated print head.
Thermal Print Head
An electronic device which uses heat to transfer a digitized image from a special ribbon to the flat surface of a plastic card.
YMC
Yellow, Magenta, and Cyan are the primary print colors for cards. The three colors are combined in varying degrees to make a full spectrum of colors. YMCKO is the same as YMC plus Black (K) and clear protective overcoat (O).
Source: Zebra Card Printer
