Have you ever experienced the problem of blemishes on printed smart cards? This may be because the cards have been printed using a dye-sublimation process. Dye-sublimation printing has many advantages such as being fast and low in cost. However, when it comes to printing contact smart cards, especially on the reverse of the contact chip, this method doesn’t work very well because the ink does not print well over the indent. The blemish can appear in the form of a white patch or discoloration.

You can eliminate this issue by printing your smart cards using a reverse transfer (re-transfer) printing method. With re-transfer printing the artwork is reverse printed onto the underside of a clear film, which is then applied on top of the card using a heated roller process. This gives a better quality finish to the printed smart cards and additionally adds an extra layer of protection to the printed card. Imperfections in the card surface, such as a chip indent, can be printed over without causing an unsightly blemish mark.

Universal Smart Cards can print your smart cards using various print methods including offset printing, silkscreen printing, re-transfer printing and dye-sublimation printing. We’re happy to advise you on which card printing method is best for your individual project requirements' so please don't hesitate to ask a member of our team if you need any help.

We can also supply you with your own card printer. Below are a few re-transfer printers we recommend:

Magicard Prima 4

Magicard HELIX

Fargo HDP5000