Components · Digital print
Print ten cards as easily as ten thousand
An ink-receptive coating lets digital presses and desktop card printers put sharp, durable graphics on card stock — no plates, no minimums, every card can differ.
Digital-print sheet is standard PVC or PETG card stock with a factory-applied coating that anchors inkjet and toner personalisation. It changes the economics of small runs: seasonal artwork, per-property versions and guest-named credentials print sharp from the first card, then laminate and punch like any other stock.
Highlights
No plates, no minimums
Short runs and one-off personalisation without offset make-ready costs.
Tuned ink anchorage
Wetting tension ≥ 38–39 dyn/cm plus an absorption layer locks dots sharp.
Same card afterwards
Laminates, punches and encodes identically to offset-printed stock.
Digital-print card sheets — technical data
- What it is
- PVC or PETG card sheet with a factory-applied ink-receptive coating — made for digital personalisation instead of offset presses
- Sheet range
- 100–400 μm in white and clear, PVC and PETG carriers
- Coating
- Bond layer plus ink-absorption layer — digital inks anchor without the corona treatment offset stock needs
- Ink adhesion
- Wetting tension ≥ 39 dyn/cm (PVC) / ≥ 38 dyn/cm (PETG) — tuned for inkjet and toner personalisation
- Use case
- Short runs, versioned designs and on-property personalisation — no plates, no make-ready waste
- Format
- Sheets and webs 200–1300 mm, converted to CR80 after printing
- Pairs with
- Desktop retransfer and direct-to-card printers at the front desk; industrial digital presses at our factory
Inside a digital-print sheet
Offset printing needs plates and thousand-card runs to make sense. Digital-print sheet moves the economics: an ink-receptive coating lets small runs — one hotel, one event, even one guest name — print sharp without plates. It is the material behind personalised member cards and short-run seasonal designs.
Printed digitally, then laminated and cut like any other card
- Ink-absorption layer Locks digital inks and toner sharp at the dot level
- Bond layer Anchors the coating to the carrier sheet
- PVC or PETG carrier · 100–400 μm White or clear card sheet, CR80-convertible
When digital-print stock is the right call
- Runs under ~1,000 cards: no offset plates means short runs stop carrying press make-ready costs.
- Versioned programs: per-property, per-season or per-event artwork without minimum-quantity pain.
- Named credentials: member and staff cards personalised at issue, on site or at our factory.
Digital-print sheet questions
When does digital printing beat offset for key cards?
Below roughly a thousand cards, or whenever every card differs. Offset needs plates and setup waste that only amortise over volume; digital sheet prints the first card as cheaply as the five-hundredth. Seasonal designs, multi-property versioning and named member cards are the sweet spots.
Is digital print quality really equal to offset?
For photographs and gradients, modern digital presses on coated sheet are hard to tell from offset at card size. Large flat brand-colour fields remain offset’s strength — for exact PMS matches across huge runs we still recommend the press. We print proofs both ways so you can judge in hand.
Can our front desk print cards on this stock ourselves?
Yes — that is half the point. Desktop direct-to-card and retransfer printers personalise pre-laminated blanks made from this sheet, adding names, numbers and QR codes at issue. We supply printer-ready blanks in your base design with the chips already inside.
Does the coating change chip behaviour or durability?
No. The coating is microns thick and sits on the print face only; the chip, antenna and lamination build are identical to standard cards. Laminated with an overlay after printing, the finished card meets the same wear standards as offset stock.
Start your order
Need key cards that just work at check-in?
Send your lock brand and quantity — you will get a factory-direct quote and a free sample pack to test in your own locks before you commit.