Jake Jacobs

Boston-based ABnote North America introduced DuoChrome Ink. Exclusively offered by the company, the patented technology is designed to make the ink visible as one color in traditional (natural or incandescent) light and another contrasting color when viewed under fluorescent light.

Boston-based ABnote North America recently named Tim Wright as vice president of the government and identification markets for the company.

Plastics may not sound great. Especially since they are described as cold, shiny and hard. But, when it comes to gift cards, identification cards and the like, that's a good thing. Here, several companies display their newest plastic cards and explain their features.

ABnote North America has launched its new web site, www.ABnoteNA.com. The site consolidates information from the former Arthur Blank, Keystone Plastics and American Banknote Company brands, and eventually will replace those sites.

Boston-based ABnote North America introduced lenticular printing on medium- to long-run plastic card and poster products. Lenticular printing, enabling printed images to appear three dimensional (3D) or even animated, is created in a process where an interlaced image is reverse printed directly on the smooth backside of a multi-angled lenticular lens.

Forget the back burner — it's time to deal with the inevitable. Standards are being ratified, chips are being built, inlays are being designed, and printers and readers are being tested. At this point, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is just looking for trouble. As Bill Allen, director of strategic alliances for Dallas-based Texas Instruments (TI), stated, RFID, in most cases, is a solution waiting for a problem. He pointed out that for many people, RFID is just coming onto the radar screen, so they imagine that it's an emerging technology. "In some markets it is," Allen said, "but there are many mature markets