Cards

Five things to consider when choosing paperboard

Several factors should be considered when deciding on the type of card to use. We’ve listed five key considerations to help you select the most suitable solution for your brand, purpose, and production needs.

1. How it looks

The design of the card is crucial in attracting customers. You want it to be visually appealing and stand out when someone looks at it. It’s also important to be able to design and embellish it in a way that aligns with your brand or industry. Utilise decorative techniques such as embossing, foiling, debossing, and others. You can have all of this when you pick a quality paperboard.

Gift cards and contactless cards can come in many looks. That’s the great thing about them. And when they are made from quality paperboard, you have a broad range of decorative means to choose from, like printed illustrations and photographs, embossing, lamination or hot foil stamping. Skilful printing and converting techniques enhance product appeal and contribute to the message.

2. What it should do

Gift cards and contactless cards must be up to the task. The cards are often used over long periods, so it’s essential that they are both strong and durable, while also maintaining a fresh and appealing appearance.

To protect the card from physical damage throughout all stages, a strong, tough, flat and stable paperboard is required. Folded cards require durable creases. Protection of the motif and the written text from fading or yellowing is vital. The use of fresh fibres, together with selected coating ingredients, ensures good light stability. A smooth surface provides easy handling and good rub and abrasion resistance, thereby preserving the graphical presentation and writing.

3. How it's manufactured

Producing the cards starts with high-quality paperboard of the preferred thickness. The board is printed and converted depending on the customer's specifications. Gift cards are often varnished to protect the surface or give it a glossy or matte feel. Varnish and spot varnish can also be used to highlight specific features in the design or create a ‘soft-touch’ surface. The design can be further altered with options such as foiling, embossing, or debossing.

4. How sustainable is it

Paperboard gift cards or contactless cards offer similar capabilities as plastic ones, but drastically lower your carbon footprint.

Paperboard cards are made from 100 per cent natural materials and are therefore fully recyclable and biodegradable. Plastics like PVC only decompose upon burning and emit toxic vapours in the process, which is a strong argument for giving up plastic smart cards.

Increasingly, chips and antennas are made from recyclable materials, for example, using connected ink on a cellulose basis.

5. How it fits into your strategic supply chain

When you decide on paperboard for gift cards or contactless cards, you must ensure it will work within your total supply chain. And that covers every step, from manufacturing and transportation to warehousing and points of sale.

If you source the paperboard yourself, you need to ensure that the provider has the right resources and program management to have a complete supply chain, both on regional and global levels. And if you work with a converter, ensure they are familiar with paperboard for cards and understand the various possibilities for the finished cards.