Materials · Waterproof Paper
Paper that survives the pool bag
A coated, wood-free paper body that handles wet hands and humid climates for the length of a stay — with no plastic in the card at all.
Our paper cards use a dense wood-free stock with a water-resistant coating, laminated around a standard RFID inlay. They are the pragmatic eco choice for properties where cards leave with guests: printing is excellent, cost is close to PVC, and disposal is guilt-free.
Highlights
Plastic-free body
Card body contains no PVC or PET — a claim your marketing can use plainly.
Priced for turnover
Closest eco option to PVC pricing, sensible for non-returned cards.
Real-world water resistance
Coated to survive pools, showers and beach bags for typical stay lengths.
Waterproof paper cards — technical data
- Card body
- High-density laminated paperboard — a plastic-free body from renewable fibre
- Finished thickness
- ≈ 0.8 mm typical — stiff enough for daily handling, light enough to mail flat in bulk
- Coating
- Water-resistant coating both sides — survives wet hands, splashes and humid climates
- Full-colour offset directly on the board — crisp photographic print with a warm matte finish
- RFID build
- Paper-substrate inlay bonded between board plies — the same construction as transit smart tickets
- Magstripe option
- Hi-co magnetic stripe laminates onto paper — proven for decades in transit and event ticketing
- Heat behaviour
- No softening point — paper tolerates mailing and storage heat that warps budget plastics
- Service life
- Designed for weeks to months of reuse — sized for short stays, events and conferences
- Disposal
- Plastic-free body enters the paper stream; the chip and antenna are a fraction of a gram
Inside a paper key card
Paper cards borrow their build from transit smart tickets — billions of which are produced every year. A paper-substrate RFID inlay is bonded between board plies, then coated. The result costs a fraction of plastic, hands out fast at group check-ins, and skips the landfill problem entirely.
≈ 0.8 mm finished — the lightest key card we make
- Water-resistant coating Sealed print face — wet hands and splashes are fine
- Printed board ply Full-colour offset graphics on virgin or recycled fibre
- Paper-substrate RFID inlay Same construction as metro smart tickets
- Board ply Back face — instructions, Wi-Fi details, sponsor panel
- Water-resistant coating Sealed back face
When paper is the right call
- High turnover: hostels, conferences and festivals where cards are handed out once and rarely come back.
- The lowest-cost eco option: a plastic-free story at a price below standard PVC at volume.
- Print-heavy designs: offset on matte board gives a warm editorial look plastic cannot match.
Paper key card questions
How waterproof are paper key cards really?
The board is coated both sides, so wet hands, spilled drinks, rain on the walk from the lobby and humid climates are all fine. They are water-resistant, not submersible — a card that goes through a full wash cycle or a swim will not survive the way PVC does.
How long does a paper key card last?
Weeks to months of normal guest handling. That is the design point: short stays, events and conferences where cards rarely return to the desk. For multi-year reuse fleets, PVC, PETG or wooden cards are the better spec.
Can a paper card carry a magstripe or RFID chip?
Both. Hi-co magnetic stripes laminate onto paper — transit systems have issued paper magstripe tickets for decades — and the RFID build uses a paper-substrate inlay identical in principle to metro smart tickets. Your locks read them like any other card.
Are paper key cards recyclable or compostable?
The body is plastic-free fibre and enters the paper stream; the embedded chip and antenna weigh a fraction of a gram. Many municipal programs accept them as paper, and several of our properties run desk-return bins so inlays can be recovered. We avoid blanket “compostable” claims and will share the exact board spec for your local rules.
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.