Custom plastic card printing is the process of designing, producing and mailing durable, credit-card-style cards, loyalty cards, membership cards, ID badges, key tags and gift cards, through a print service rather than an in-house printer or laminator. Most providers use the ISO/ID-1 card format (3.375 x 2.125 inches, roughly 86 x 54 mm), and cards are typically sent as an insert alongside a letter mailing rather than as a separate mail item. A well-run print service guide should cover the card format, the design requirements, how the insert fits into a wider direct mail programme, and which use cases justify the added production cost.

Key Takeaways

• Plastic card printing allows you to print plastic cards, business cards, key tags, frost cards, etc. You can exchange them at commercial events or send them to your customers.
• Businesses must choose a solid plastic card printing solution like PostGrid, with fast turnaround times, customization options, mailing fulfillment, and more.
• A good plastic card printing provider offers API integrations, delivery tracking, bulk production, etc. 
• PostGrid allows you to print and mail plastic cards using a single platform at low prices. 
• You can also create segmented mailing lists for marketing and customer acquisition campaigns using PostGrid’s solution.

Most UK businesses ordering custom plastic cards are producing one of the following:

• Membership and loyalty cards, used by gyms, retailers and subscription services to track repeat custom and reward spending.
• Gift cards, pre-loaded or activatable cards sent to customers as promotions, incentives or purchasable products.
• Employee and visitor ID badges, used for access control, on-site identification and security compliance.
• Key tags and fobs, compact cards attached to keyrings, often carrying a barcode for loyalty scanning.
• Promotional and discount cards, mailed to prospects or existing customers to drive a specific offer or campaign response.

The exact workflow varies by provider, but a typical print and mail process for plastic cards follows five steps:

1.   Design the card, either upload a print-ready PDF or build the design using a template editor, following the provider’s card size and bleed guidelines.
2.   Enable the plastic card feature, because plastic cards use different stock and finishing than paper mail; most providers (including PostGrid) require this to be switched on for your account before you can place an order.
3.   Attach the card as an insert. Plastic cards are commonly shipped as an insert within a letter mailing, so the recipient receives a personalised letter with the card enclosed, rather than the card being mailed on its own.
4.   Applying addressing and mail, the provider applies the destination address, applies postage, and routes the mailing through their print network.
5.   Track delivery depending on the provider; the mailing can be tracked through the same carrier-tracking and reporting tools used for the rest of a direct mail programme.

Most plastic card programmes use the same physical format as a standard credit or debit card: the ISO/ID-1 standard, which measures 3.375 x 2.125 inches (about 85.6 x 54mm). This is a single-sided, full-bleed format, so artwork needs to extend to the trim edge with any text kept inside a safe zone to avoid being cut during production.

Choosing between a plastic card insert, a standard paper insert, and a purely digital communication comes down to durability, cost and how long you want the item to survive in a customer’s hands:

Insurance

Insurers issue plastic ID cards for policyholders, proof of coverage cards, member ID cards for health plans, and renewal-linked loyalty cards that reduce churn at renewal time.

Healthcare

Healthcare providers and health plans use plastic cards for patient ID, membership in wellness programmes, and prescription discount cards mailed alongside a welcome letter.

Financial Services

Beyond payment cards themselves, banks, credit unions and fintechs use plastic cards for loyalty tiers, referral programmes, and physical access cards for branch or safe-deposit services.

SaaS and B2B

B2B and SaaS companies use plastic cards less often, but they are effective for account-based marketing gifts, conference badge mailers, and physical access cards for hosted events or offices.

Retail

Retailers are the heaviest users of plastic cards, gift cards, loyalty cards, and membership cards mailed as part of a welcome pack or a win-back campaign for lapsed customers.

Choosing the Right Print & Mail Partner

Before committing to a provider for a custom plastic card programme, check the following:

• Can they handle the full workflow, design, card production, insertion into a letter, addressing and postage, on one platform, rather than requiring you to coordinate a separate card printer and mail house?
• Do they publish clear design guidelines (size, bleed, safe zone, accepted file formats) so your design team can avoid costly reprints?
• Is the plastic card feature something you need to request or have enabled, and what is the lead time for that setup?
• Can the mailing be tracked and reported on alongside your other direct mail activity, rather than in a separate system?
• Do they support the CRM or marketing platform you already use, so card mailings can be triggered from existing customer data rather than manual list exports?

PostGrid’s print mail platform supports plastic cards as an insert alongside letters, postcards, cheques, self-mailers and snap packs, all managed from a single dashboard. You can build a card design using PostGrid’s template editor or upload a print-ready PDF, following the standard ISO/ID-1 card format, and the plastic card feature is enabled on your account on request rather than being switched on by default. Because it sits on the same platform as PostGrid’s other mail types, a plastic card mailing can be planned, tracked and reported alongside the rest of a direct mail programme rather than run as a separate project.