Holograms & Color Shifting Ink: Unique Plastic Card Printing Options Part 2
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kanobi, you’re my only hope!” No, I’m not talking about the type of hologram Princess Leia used to try to contact Obi-Wan Kanobi, although it would be pretty cool if a plastic card could do that! Holograms and the use of color shifting ink are two more ways to add a distinctive look to your plastic cards and differentiate them from the competitors.
Holographic Plastic Card Printing
Holographic card printing creates a flat optical image which looks three-dimensional. One of the most common uses of holograms on plastic cards is on credit cards—Visa credit cards feature a hologram of a dove. Holograms are virtually impossible to copy by any known printing technique, so they serve as a great method of fraud prevention. They provide a way to quickly and easily validate authenticity with the naked eye.
Aside from the added level of security, using a hologram on your plastic card can also add to the unique look of a card. It’s something that’s not typically seen on a gift card, loyalty card or business card and could make it stand apart from the competition. And, with the most common use of holograms on plastic cards being credit cards, it could also add to the perceived value as we’ve discussed before with the use of embossing on plastic cards.
Color Shifting Ink Plastic Card Printing
Color shifting ink is another printing process that is used for security and fraud prevention purposes. Most commonly, you will find color shifting ink on paper money. Take a twenty dollar bill out of your wallet and look at the metallic-looking “20” in the bottom right corner of the bill. When you tilt the bill, the color will change from green to black on earlier bills, and from copper to green on later bills. Although most common in paper printing, it can also be used in plastic card printing.
Adding color shifting ink to your plastic card to alleviate security or fraud prevention concerns is one benefit, but it can be easily incorporated into the unique design of your card to make it stand out from your competitor’s as well. It makes the consumer take note, and they will “play” with the card and tilt it to see how the design changes. The longer someone spends with your plastic card, the better connection they will make between the card and your brand.
Which do you think would make more of an impact with consumers, holograms or color shifting ink?
Read part one in this blog series, Scented Plastic Cards: Unique Plastic Card Printing Options Part 1.
