Cards

Headquartered in Fort Scott, Kan., Ward/Kraft has expanded its plastic printing capabilities to offer quicker turnaround times on value-added plastic products. Typically, many features on high-volume orders—including magnetic stripes, variable printing in black and color, serial numbering, bar coding and signature panels—require four weeks or more for production. The recent expansion enables Ward/Kraft to reduce turnaround times by days or even weeks. For more information, visit www.wardkraft.com.

Nobody enjoys the gridlock of the daily commute to and from work. That is, nobody except advertisers who recently invested in a billboard campaign. It’s an “inconvenient truth” to accept, but let’s face it—after spending hours on XYZ highway, drivers can only tolerate the latest Top 40 radio hits so many times. Distractions are welcomed. Because of billboard advertising, individuals know which jewelers provide the highest quality of diamonds and where to seek excellent medical care. Distributors can take this technique one step further by providing end-users with a tangible, wallet-sized item that practically guarantees optimal brand reinforcement—a plastic card. Individuals typically consider gift

By Maggie DeWitt This month’s mystery product was briefly mentioned in a recent issue of BFL&S, but the dynamic item merits a closer look. Essentially, a design innovation has imbued a popular, multipurpose product with enhanced marketing power. Perfect for a variety of promotional and direct mail applications, the item is a good fit for customers in every industry. Check out the following clues and try to guess what the product is: • It is guaranteed to reflect well on customers and end-users. • It involves a manufacturing technique that puts a new face on plastic products. • It is

Boston-based Arthur Blank & Co. recently introduced the MirrorCard.With a high-gloss metallized finish, the MirrorCard is ideal for membership, loyalty, hotel key cards, casino players’ cards and gift cards. For more information, visit www.arthurblank.com.

Most hotel rooms are no longer mere graveyards for bad art and plastic ice buckets. Today’s market focuses on personalizing the travel experience for consumers. In fact, many hotels now offer luxury bath products and the opportunity to purchase the items that furnish their rooms. Higher-end hotels have even begun to track repeat customers’ likes and dislikes in order to stock rooms with a loyal guest’s personal tastes. The insistence on a brand reputation embodying the idea of “hospitality” is just one way the travel industry seeks to brand itself in each detail—which ultimately creates selling opportunities for distributors. In addition to the touches

Boston-based Arthur Blank & Co. introduced the Scratch ‘N’ Sniff Card, a fun-filled card product that engages the sense of smell. It is available in 120 enticing scents—including almond cream; banana; cake; chocolate; fresh cotton; fall festival; lemon; ocean mist; peach; spearmint; tropical blend; and vanilla—and custom-designed scents are optional. The Arthur Blank Scratch ‘N’ Sniff Card is a great way to enhance any loyalty, rewards, membership or gift program. It is also effective for direct mail campaigns, promotional marketing actvities and specialty cards and signs. The Scratch ‘N’ Sniff Card is available with all of Arthur Blank & Co.’s standard products. For more information, visit

Boston-based Arthur Blank & Co. introduced the AB RecycledCard, a plastic card manufactured from 100 percent pre-consumer recycled PVC. The company, in partnership with Earthworks Recycled Systems, is the first volume card manufacturer offering a truly recycled plastic credit card. Applications for the speckled and off-white AB RecycledCard include gift, loyalty, membership and direct mail programs. For more information, visit www.arthurblank.com. Visit www.bfls.com/infocenter and enter #201

What has been dubbed “the most wonderful time of the year” can often be a primary source of headaches for consumers. In the approaching months, hours of valuable time will be spent searching through clothing racks; sleep will be lost as parents rush to the toy stores at 5:00 a.m.; and generosity will be rejected after consumers are sent to return unwanted presents. However, the quick purchase of a single item can remove almost all pressure from the gift giver — a gift card. The gift card-giving trend continues to gain popularity. In fact, the gift card replaced apparel as the top gift purchase in

Recently RFID has been in the cross-hairs of every media outlet. With big businesses and some government offices finding more uses for the technology, the general public is starting to feel a little on edge. Accusations started flying: concerned citizens groups fear this technology could lead to a totalitarian state comparable to Orwell’s 1984 and some religious groups even declared RFID to be related to biblical tales of Armageddon. “The unfortunate thing about that is once [a group] makes such a claim or statement, from that point on, it puts the RFID industry on the defensive,” said Max Golter, vice president of sales at

Specialized Printed Forms handled this colorful promotional job involving plastic cards for Syracuse University.