Components · Overlay
The card’s windshield
A 40–100 μm clear film takes the keys, coins and disinfectant wipes so your printed brand never does. It is the least visible material in the card — and the reason it still looks new next season.
Every laminated card we make is sealed under overlay film: clear PVC, PETG or PLA-carrier film pre-coated with a waterborne adhesive that bonds at ≥ 6 N/cm in the hot press. Gloss, matte, soft-touch and holographic security variants set how the card looks, feels — and how hard it is to counterfeit.
Highlights
Print sealed for life
Graphics live under the film, not on top — key rings and wipes cannot reach them.
Four carrier chemistries
PVC, PETG, holographic and PLA-based films match every card body we laminate.
Anti-counterfeit option
Holographic overlay adds bank-card shimmer that copiers cannot reproduce.
Overlay & laminating films — technical data
- What it is
- Clear film pre-coated with a waterborne card adhesive — the wear layer that seals every laminated card we make
- Film variants
- PVC overlay 40–100 μm · PETG overlay 65–100 μm · holographic (laser) overlay 65–100 μm · PLA-carrier overlay for bio-based cards
- Optics
- Water-clear, no optical brighteners — brand colours read exactly as printed underneath
- Adhesive
- Waterborne adhesive pre-coat, 6–9 g/m² — bonds in the hot press without solvent chemistry
- Bond strength
- Peel strength ≥ 6 N/cm — the print layer cannot be picked or peeled in guest use
- Heat behaviour
- Vicat 72–80 °C (PVC) / 72–76 °C (PETG) / 72–77 °C (holographic) — tuned to flow slightly before the core in lamination
- Surface finish
- Carries gloss, matte and soft-touch finishes; hot-stamp foil, spot UV and embossing sit beneath or above it by design
- Security option
- Holographic overlay embosses a diffraction pattern across the face — bank-card-style anti-copy shimmer for VIP and casino cards
Inside an overlay film
The overlay is the card’s windshield: a thin clear film that takes the scratches, pocket grit and disinfectant wipes so the printed graphics never do. It arrives pre-coated with adhesive, laminates at a slightly lower softening point than the core so it flows and seals first, and — in the holographic variant — carries an embossed diffraction layer that makes casino and VIP cards effectively uncopyable.
Laminated both sides of every card — the reason print outlives the stay
- Effects layer (optional) Holographic embossing, matte or soft-touch texture
- Clear film body · 40–100 μm PVC, PETG or PLA carrier — matched to the card core
- Waterborne adhesive · 6–9 g/m² Bonds ≥ 6 N/cm to the printed core in the hot press
Why the overlay spec matters to you
- Card life is overlay life: the difference between a card that looks new after a year and one that scuffs in a month is this film and its bond.
- Housekeeping chemicals are brutal: sealed overlays shrug off disinfectant wipes that attack bare print.
- Holographic overlay is the cheapest real anti-counterfeit step for casino, membership and VIP cards.
Overlay film questions
Why do printed cards need an overlay at all?
Offset and screen inks sit on the core sheet surface; without protection they scratch off against keys and coins within weeks. The overlay laminates a 40–100 μm clear wear layer over the print with ≥ 6 N/cm peel strength, so the graphics are sealed inside the card body rather than riding on top of it.
What does the holographic overlay actually do?
A diffraction pattern is embossed into the film, producing the shifting rainbow shimmer you know from bank cards. It cannot be photocopied or reprinted with normal equipment, which makes it a low-cost anti-counterfeit layer for casino cards, member credentials and anything with stored value.
Does the overlay change how the card feels?
It defines how the card feels. Gloss overlay gives the classic bank-card face; matte and soft-touch variants give the fashionable low-sheen finish boutique brands ask for. The choice is free at order time — same film family, different surface.
Why is the overlay’s softening point lower than the core’s?
By design. At 72–80 °C the overlay begins to flow just before the 80–86 °C core does, so it wets out over the printed surface and bonds without crushing the card. It is a deliberate process window, not a weakness — in the finished card the laminate behaves as one body.
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