ID Technology Cards

Beyond PVC or composite plastic cards, there are now a variety of technology card types to choose from – one of which may be helpful in constructing a card printing/encoding solution. Please find a brief description below of the most significant technology cards being used today.

If you would like additional information about HID technology cards, please click here.

If you have any questions about these cards, or how you might use these in , please contact us.

Contact Smart Cards

Contact smart cards are the size of a conventional credit or debit card with a single embedded integrated circuit chip that contains just memory or memory plus a microprocessor.

Memory-only chips are functionally similar to a small floppy disk. They are less expensive than microprocessor chips, but they also offer less security so they should not be used to store sensitive or valuable information.

Chips that contain both memory and a microprocessor are also similar to a small floppy disk, except they contain an "intelligent" controller used to securely add, delete, change, and update information contained in memory. The more sophisticated microprocessor chips have state-of-the-art security features built in to protect the contents of memory from unauthorized access.

Contact smart cards must be inserted into a card acceptor device where pins attached to the reader make "contact" with pads on the surface of the card to read and store information in the chip. This type of e-card is used in a wide variety of applications including network security, vending, meal plans, loyalty, electronic cash, government IDs, campus IDs, e-commerce, health cards, and many more.

Contactless Smart Cards

In addition to the features and functions found in contact smart cards, contactless smart cards contain an embedded antenna instead of contact pads attached to the chip for reading and writing information contained in the chip's memory. Contactless cards do not have to be inserted into a card acceptor device. Instead, they need only be passed within range of a radio frequency acceptor to read and store information in the chip. The range of operation is typically from about 2.5" to 3.9" (63.5mm to 99.06mm) depending on the acceptor.

Contactless smart cards are used in many of the same applications as contact smart cards, especially where the added convenience and speed of not having to insert the card into a reader is desirable. There is a growing acceptance of this type of card for both physical and logical access control applications. Student identification, electronic passport, vending, parking and tolls are common applications for contactless cards.

Proximity Cards

Proximity cards or simply "prox cards" communicate through an antenna similar to contactless smart cards except that they are read-only devices that generally have a greater range of operation. The range of operation for prox cards is typically from 2.5" to 20" (63.5mm to 508mm) depending on the reader. It is possible to read a small amount of information with prox cards such as an identification code that is usually verified by a remote computer; however, it is not possible to write information back to the card. Prox cards are available from several sources in both ISO thickness cards from .027" to .033" (.6858mm to .8382mm) and "clamshell" cards from .060" to over .070" thick (1.524mm to over 1.778mm).

Prox cards continue to grow in popularity because of the convenience they offer in security, identification, and access control applications, especially door access where fast, hands-free operation is preferred.

Hybrid Cards

Hybrid card is the term given to e-cards that contain two or more embedded chip technologies such as a contactless smart chip with its antenna, a contact smart chip with its contact pads, and/or a proximity chip with its antenna -- all in a single card. The contactless chip is typically used for applications demanding fast transaction times, like mass transit. The contact chip can be used in applications requiring higher levels of security. The individual electronic components are not connected to each other even though they share space in a single card.

Hybrid cards offer a unique solution for updating your existing badging system. This e-card allows you to accommodate the infrastructure and card technology of a legacy system while adding new applications and e-card technologies -- all in a single ID card.

Combi Cards

The combi card -- also known as a dual-interface card -- has one smart chip embedded in the card that can be accessed through either contact pads or an embedded antenna. This form of smart card is growing in popularity because it provides ease-of-use and high security in a single card product.

Mass transit is expected to be one of the more popular applications for the combi card. In the mass transit application, a contact-type acceptor can be used to place a cash value in the chip's memory and the contactless interface can be used to deduct a fare from the card. This site page courtesy of PlascoID