Cards

In the world of direct mail, sometimes it feels as though the postcard format is on trial, defending its basic two sides against the prosecution’s long letter, freemium, brochure, buckslip and reply. The letter package promises a whole entourage of elements buffering an offer, while the bare-bones approach of a postcard arguably loses the touchy-feely, hold-your-hand sell of a letter package. 

This month’s featured item combines innovation and technology with practical convenience for a product that’s sure to generate some buzz in the marketplace. Today, consumers of all age groups are infatuated with technology and gadgetry, and this revolutionary contactless payment system doesn’t disappoint.

Headquartered in Boston, Arthur Blank & Co. introduced the AB HybridCard into its GreenLine suite of environmentally friendly products. An industry first, the AB HybridCard is part recycled and part virgin PVC. The .030” thick material is comprised of a recycled plastic core sandwiched between two layers of traditional bright white PVC, resulting in a 50 percent recycled plastic and 50 percent traditional PVC product. The outer layers of traditional PVC provide an excellent printing surface while the recycled core provides all the environmental benefits associated with recycled material including helping to reduce energy consumption and reducing the amount of PVC entering

In spring 2007, Midland, Texas-based Teraco launched an aggressive pricing structure for plastic card products. The program—called Valuable Reseller Pricing (VIP)—has been extended and enhanced with additional features, including Envirocards made from recycled plastic, signature panels, numbering, barcodes, encoding and scratch-off labels. Minimum quantities now start at 500, and the new accompanying rapid production schedule allows for cards to ship in as little as one week. For more information, visit www.teraco.com or call (800) 687-3999.

Headquartered in Midland, Texas, Teraco welcomed Laura Johnson as account executive for strategic sales. Johnson brings more than 10 years of experience in the plastic card industry to her new role. Because of her extensive knowledge of card fulfillment programs, she will handle strategic projects related to her field of expertise. “Her attention to detail and ability to work through the intricacies of complex programs is a phenomenal asset to any project. Laura’s understanding of card fulfillment programs coupled with her hands-on approach to serving customers makes her a great addition to our team. We welcome her aboard,” said Steve Pruitt, vice president

Headquartered in Boston, Arthur Blank & Co. has a new addition to its GreenLine suite of environmentally friendly products. The AB BiodegradableCard is made from a cutting-edge biodegradable and compostable material that looks and feels like traditional plastic. The new material is industrial compostable according to ASTM International standards, and meets the D6400 standard for compostable plastics. The material composts in a period of 180 days or less and breaks down into water, biomass and CO2 in a professionally managed industrial composting facility. While not yet available in all areas, industrial composting facilities are expected to become more prevalent in the future. Existing

One of the most unique plastic cards marketed is the Plastic Page Finder. Three separate 1x1.125" die-cut page finders come on a 51⁄2x31⁄2" card to be removed separately. Popular for bookstores, coffee shops and schools, they’re also perfect for marketing the launch of a new book, cooking promotions and catalog consciousness. Choose a spot color on the 20 mil white base material. For more information, visit www.finn-line.com or call (800) 543-3466.

The Imagery Group’s full-color membership cards are produced with the highest quality color presentation and personalization. Made from .030" plastic, the card size is 21⁄8x33⁄8". The company also offers an online release program, providing considerable cost savings and reduced delivery time. For more information, visit www.imagerygroup.net or call (615) 255-2525.

Headquartered in Massachusetts, Arthur Blank & Co.—a division of American Banknote—announced a partnership with INSIDE Contactless for the supply of its newly released L4 2.5G MicroPass platform. As a result of this partnership, American Banknote Corporation’s global network of secure card production facilities will be teamed with an industry-leading provider of advanced, open-standard contactless chip technology. With the recent announcement of Arthur Blank & Co.’s Tennessee card production facility being certified by VISA and MasterCard, this partnership is most timely. “As we begin to enter the US secure marketplace, we know that this partnership will add tremendous credibility to our offering. Offering the new

Boston-based Arthur Blank & Co., a division of American Banknote, is aggressively expanding into the secure bank card market in the United States with the recent MasterCard and VISA certifications of its 50,000 square foot production facility in Mt. Pleasant, Tenn. Internationally, American Banknote is one of the leading global providers of MasterCard, VISA and other secure credit cards. The newly-certified Tennessee facility joins card production facilities worldwide, including France, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and the Czech Republic, with an annual manufacturing capacity of more than 2 billion plastic cards for payment, pre-paid, gift, marketing and chip-based card products. “This new U.S. facility for