Inks for bank cards and laminated PVC cards

A bank card is not an ordinary printed substrate. The design is screen-printed onto PVC sheets, which are then assembled with a transparent protective film, the overlay, before the whole stack passes through a lamination press under heat and pressure. The ink ends up sandwiched between two layers of plastic for the entire lifetime of the card.

This architecture shifts the requirements. For a label or a panel, the ink must resist surface abrasion and UV. For a laminated card, the surface is protected by the overlay: what matters is that the ink does not yellow during the thermal cycle, and above all does not create delamination zones. A poorly adapted ink results in a card that peels, a blurred design, or bubbles trapped between layers.

VFP formulates four specialised inks for this process: UVICARD TF (UV non-CMR), UVICARD (UV ink), AQUACARD TF (hydro-non-CMR UV ink) and SOLVCARD (solvent non-CMR ink). All are qualified on PVC and recycled PVC. AQUACARD TF and SOLVCARD are specified for automatic cylindrical presses of the SPS and SAKURAI type, the industry standard for card printing; UVICARD TF and UVICARD also cover semi-automatic and three-quarter automatic cylindrical machines.

Payment cards. Printing the background, solid areas, personalisation zones and brand graphic elements. The design must remain sharp and stable after lamination, then through finishing operations such as embossing or engraving.

Transparent cards are also achievable. This is the purpose of IR BLOCKING V2, a non-CMR solvent ink that absorbs certain infrared radiation: it makes specific zones unreadable by IR readers while printing on PVC and recycled PVC like the rest of the range.

Identification cards and access control badges. The same lamination constraints apply, with the addition of machine-readable requirements.

Loyalty cards, gift cards and contactless cards. High volumes, sustained throughput, and frequently an antenna embedded in the card body, which adds a flatness constraint to the lamination process.

UVICARD TF and UVICARD are UV inks with immediate lamp curing, no solvent evaporation, a glossy finish and high throughput. Qualified substrates: PVC, recycled PVC, treated polypropylene and polyethylene. UVICARD TF is the non-CMR version.

AQUACARD TF, non-CMR hydro-UV ink. A water-based UV-cured formulation that reduces volatile organic compound content while maintaining a glossy finish. Suited to plants seeking to lower their emissions profile without changing process or press equipment.

SOLVCARD, non-CMR solvent ink. Physical drying by evaporation, glossy to satin finish. Solvent remains the preferred choice when substrate wetting is difficult or inconsistent.

These inks run on automatic cylindrical presses. The choice depends on the press configuration, target throughput, the site's environmental policy and the customer's specifications.

The card market is shifting towards lower-impact materials: recycled PVC (rPVC), PLA, alternative card bodies. VFP's card ink ranges are qualified on rPVC; AQUACARD TF is also qualified on PLA, with a UV PLA PRIMER.

In production with recycled PVC, adhesion must be revalidated with each batch change. rPVC is a recovered material: its surface tension, additive load and consistency vary more from batch to batch than virgin PVC. Adhesion validated on one batch cannot therefore be assumed to hold without testing: an adhesion test with each new batch, followed by a check after the lamination cycle, prevents discovering the problem in production.

UVICARD TF, AQUACARD TF, SOLVCARD and IR BLOCKING V2 are non-CMR formulations, meaning not classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic. Safety data sheets and declarations of conformity are available on request.