Dynetics announces the introduction of the PSC Series Plastic Sheet Counters that are reliable, flexible and extremely easy to use. The PSC Series counters are equipped with a new mechanical counting head with DUAL SYSTEM technology. Counting is not done using optical, statistical, or mathematical counting technology, but by physically counting each sheet one by one. The PSC Series counts from the top down allowing the operator to remove the counted sheets from the top of the stack, not the bottom, counting only the necessary amount of sheets simplifying all operators’ activities. The DUAL SYSTEM technology also minimizes corner deformation, markings and scratches and allows for tab insertion.
The PSC Series is the only systems able to accurately count laminated and non-laminated plastic as well as paper and cardboard. The counter can support a wide range of material with weights from 40 to 800 GSM. Change over between different material weights is performed quickly and easily with no tools needed and can be completed in less than 30 seconds. Optional table plates are available depending on your counting needs for thin, standard, thick, and rigid sheets.
Fargo Electronics, Inc. announced the introduction of the HDPii Financial Card Printer. Utilizing Fargo’s patented High Definition Printing (HDP) technology, the HDPii is targeted toward banks, credit unions and retailers for on-site instant issuance of debit, credit and prepaid cards.
“The HDPii sets a new standard in the instant issuance of financial and retail cards,” said Steve Blake, vice president of business development for Fargo. “Utilizing High Definition Printing, cards no longer need to be preprinted, embossed or indent printed.”
Both cardholders and financial institutions will experience advantages of the HDPii Financial Card Printer:
• Improved Customer Experience: In a world of instant gratification, delivering a card on the spot means customers will not have to wait for days or weeks to receive their card, or be concerned that it may be lost or stolen in the mail. In addition, by printing the card’s text and images on-site, banks can offer their cardholders increased customization of the card with features like personal photos and co-branding logos.
• Reduced costs: The HDPii can personalize all the static and variable data on a card, thereby allowing banks to dramatically reduce their SKUs of preprinted cards. This reduces their inventory costs and simplifies operations. Plus, the cost of mailing cards is eliminated.
• Enhanced security: By decreasing the inventory of preprinted debit, credit and prepaid cards on hand, the chances of theft are reduced. And, by instantly issuing the cards, the risk of cards lost or stolen in the mail is eliminated.
• Increased card usage: Up to 40 percent of cards delivered by mail are never activated and never used. By issuing the cards immediately to the customer, the activation is automatic. Plus the time from issuance to first card use is reduced from typically one to two weeks to only a day or two. That means more business for financial institutions.
• Marketing advantages: With their image on the line, banks and retailers need vibrant colors, crisp images and over the edge printing for their cards. All of this is delivered by Fargo’s HDP technology. High Definition Printing provides superior print quality, even on cards with embedded electronics, for a more impressive public image. Unlike direct dye sublimation printers, HDPii virtually matches the color, clarity and vividness of preprinted cards. And, because large minimum quantities of preprinted cards are no longer necessary, banks can develop a greater array of co-branding programs with small and mid-size companies. This increases the bank’s competitive position and increases revenue opportunities and customer loyalty.
Fujifilm Sericol has introduced the Uvispeed range of halftone inks that will permit screen printers to run their inline screen equipment at speeds up to 500 impressions per hour. This is made possible because the ink rheology facilitates quick release from the screen and provides great flow properties. Uvispeed inks cure quickly, do not block and hold the dot over long press runs. As a result, productivity gains can improve profitability with the reduced price per print. The screen printer is also environmentally pro-active with the enhanced cure properties of the Uvispeed inks using less energy and meeting current volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) legislation requirements.
These UV halftone ink products include; Uvispeed RIGID—for use on rigid plastics, board and card stock and Uvispeed FLEX—for use on flexible vinyl materials.
In January 2008, the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and Volkswagen Bank launched their joint NABU VISA Card. The EMV card is produced and personalized by Giesecke & Devrient (G&D). With this credit card, NABU and Volkswagen Bank direct are broadening their commitment to environmental protection.
NABU customers can personalize their credit cards by opting for one of six animal motifs (wolves, bears, lynx, robin, snow leopard or stork). Each of these motifs symbolizes a current NABU project.
To promote environmental protection, the first annual fee of 10 euros goes to NABU. Thereafter, the nature conservation society receives a certain proportion of the credit card transactions made using the NABU VISA Card.
M-Tech Innovations Ltd., India, introduced the scented card. This fun filled card engages the sense of smell and is available in different scents. Custom designed scents are also available with development lead time. The Scent Card is a great way to enhance any loyalty, rewards, membership or gift program. It is ideal for promotional programs and specialty cards.
Spartanics introduces the world’s first card punching system specifically designed for ID cards and similar cards with variable data and relatively high material costs—the Spartanics 580 ID Card Punching System. The Spartanics 580 ID Card Punching System has multiple smart sensor controls that will decrease material waste costs significantly which is especially important to ID cards with relatively expensive multilayered security features and tamper-proof laminates.
The smart sensors in the Spartanics 580 ID Card Punching System provides several production line advantages:
• Eliminates Waste of Core Sheets
Detects sheet misfeeds, some forms of improper laminating or film splices and automatically re-synchronizes sheet feeding to correct problems
• Minimizes Wasted Overlaminate
Smart start and stop lamination controls and sensors for missing sheets or film splices
• Automatic Database Correlation Controls
Reads tracking numbers in real time and automatically stops operation if data match errors have occurred
• Minimizes Downtime from Laminator Fault Conditions
Detects low laminate film supply or broken laminate rolls and automatically stops system
• Only Requires Single Lightly Trained Operator
Tom Kleeman, Spartanics CEO, comments that the Spartanics 580 ID Card Punching System meets a growing market demand for tools to help cut the costs of producing security-feature rich ID cards. Kleeman says, “Keeping one step ahead of counterfeiters requires ever more complex ID card designs with multiple layers of security features. All these features add to card cost. Security laminates, for example, will typically cost as much as 8 times what standard laminate materials might cost. The Spartanics 580 ID Card Punching System is putting the latest technology in machine intelligence to work to help ID card manufacturers cut their waste during production and we expect that it will quickly become the card punching system of choice for those involved in secure ID card manufacture.”
SolarJet™, Sun Chemical’s latest generation UV inkjet printer is designed specifically to benefit the growing short-run, narrow-web labels market, SolarJet offers an innovative solution for printers and converters to produce shorter print runs quickly, cost effectively and without sacrificing quality.
Manufactured in association with Imaging Technology International (iTi) of Colorado, SolarJet offers printers an economically viable solution for print runs of 10,000 labels or fewer, freeing up their flexo presses for the higher-volume jobs. It also has the added benefit of being able to print variable data, such as text and barcodes, which is particularly beneficial in Europe, where versioning is common for multiple languages.
Streamline™ S-Tech, SCP and SCP Plus, Sun Chemical’s new digital bulk ink feed systems for wide format Mimaki JV3 solvent ink printers, Seiko Color Painter 64/100 printers, HP 9000/1000 printers, and the Océ 6060/6100 printers, is an easy-to-use, cost-saving system for continuous printing applications. The system can be fitted and installed by a press operator with no modifications to either the hardware or software in the press. S-Tech uses a sensor to ensure a constant level of ink delivery, carefully controlling the ink reservoir levels to give consistent ink pressure on the print heads.
Zebra Technologies announced the newest addition to its Value class of card printers, the Zebra P100i, a single-sided, single-card color printer. The new card printer addresses key industries that require advanced smart card and magnetic stripe encoding such as financial, banking, hospitality, recreation and retail.
This budget-friendly printer produces single-sided full color or monochrome cards and offers a variety of optional features not typically available in a product in this class, such as Ethernet connectivity and Smart Card encoding. In seconds, the P100i can print and/or encode unique cards for a variety of applications. With the new P100i, remote and branch locations can now affordably produce personalized high-end technology cards.
The P100i lets such customers print monochrome or color employee and student ID cards, loyalty, gift and membership cards, or travel and leisure passes in a single card feed on varied types of cards and technologies, including those that are pre-printed. Besides providing both magnetic stripe and smart card encoding, the P100i offers both USB and Ethernet connectivity so that customers can deploy and manage card printers on an enterprise-wide basis.
The P100i has an integrated cardholder that stores 100 cards in three separate bays to keep different types of cards easily available and clean before printing. An LCD screen produces an improved user experience with increased status and diagnostic messaging. The P100i contact smart card encoder is compatible with EMV standards for financial applications. It has received regulatory approvals for EU, United States and Canada, and shortly with other countries.