Rewritable printing
Rewritable printing technology does not require a ribbon to personalize cards. The card itself holds a thermosensitive material that turns visible when heated to a temperature of 356° F (180° C) and then rapidly cooled.
The application of a lower temperature, generally in the 230-320° F (110-160° C) range, will erase any color pattern. This process leverages two chemicals that interact with each other according to selected temperature thresholds.
This heating/cooling process is handled thanks to a thermal head, similar to the one used in the Evolis printers. Note that this process can be rolled back, allowing the same card to be reused and reprinted up to 500 times.
Rewritable cards
In a blank rewritable card, the thermosensitive material is applied as a plastic layer over a substrate. The most common substrates are PVC for 0.76mm (30 mil) cards and PET for 0.25mm (10 mil) cards.
PVC cards can be supplied with magnetic stripes and contactless chips to support advanced applications. PET cards often come with a magnetic layer on the reverse side of the rewritable surface.
Benefits
- Cost-effective:
- No cost relating to ribbons
- Cards can be reused up to 500 times.
- Cutting-edge marketing tool:
- Enhances performances of multilevel marketing programs
- Latest promotional offers can be printed on cards in a snap
- A strong asset for 1-to-1 marketing campaigns
- Helps companies protect and increase their customer base
- Visible at a glance for increased interactivity with customers.
- Quick update feature:
- Data can be edited on the spot, whenever needed.
- Data can be edited on the spot, whenever needed.
- Multiple applications:
- Suitable for magnetic stripe and contactless applications.
Print rewritable cards with Evolis
The Tattoo RW model from Evolis is an out-of-the-box solution to personalize rewritable cards. A 300 dpi resolution, automated adjustment for card thickness, quick erase/print cycle … this is the full expertise from Evolis offered to you in a rewritable mode!