Frequently Asked Questions

Here we have laid out a number of popular questions and answers we receive on a daily basis.

Below we have laid out our most popular templates.

Q. Whats the lowest quantity of pre-printed colour cards you will produce?
A. The minimum quantity is 250 full-colour cards with or without magnetic stripes (our monthly capacity is over 5 Million!)

Q. Will you produce a ‘Fake Id’ or Agecard for me?
A. Absolutely not!!! – We only produce ID cards for bona fide companies and organisations. You can apply for an AgeCard at any Garda Station but need to be 18 years or older to apply. Check out www.agecard.ie for details.

Q. I want my card to look different! Can you supply matt finish, transparent or foil stamped cards?
A. Yes – we make all these types of cards in our factory.

Q. I need a simple way of personalising small quantities of my customer’s cards each week but want them to look high quality and professional?
A. Check out our low-cost card printer solution ( from €845 + Vat) in our ‘Products’ section. When used with our preprinted cards you can produce fantastic quality cards easily and on the spot for your customers or employees

Q. I need to produce small quantities of employee photo ID cards each week but want them to look high quality and professional?
A. Check out our low-cost card colour Photo ID printer solution ( from €995 + Vat) in our ‘Products’ section. When used with our preprinted cards you can produce fantastic quality photo ID cards easily and on the spot for your employees.

Q. How many characters can be encoded on a magnetic stripe?
A. A standard magnetic stripe of 12.5mm (1/2″) high has 3 separate tracks – Including check and control characters each track can contain:

Track 1 is Alphanumeric with a max qty of 79 characters
Track 2 is 37 NUMBERS only, Track 3 is Alphanumeric with a max qty of 107 characters.

Q. What is the lifespan of a magnetic stripe card?
A. About 1,000 uses (swipes).

Q. Is there a difference between low- and high-coercivity magnetic stripes?
A. YES – The data on a high-coercivity (2750-4000 Oersteds) stripe cannot be easily erased by a magnet as a low-coercivity (300 Oersteds) stripe can.

Q. Do plastic cards have a standard size?
A. YES – 85.5mm wide by 54.5mm high (Like a standard credit card). Thickness is 0.75mm typically.

Q. Can ADC personalise the cards?
A. Yes. We not only personalise cards, we can also personalise letters, envelopes, glue cards to letters (match & attach) and more….

Q. What is the typical production time ADC needs to produce a card?
A. Some orders can be produced in 5 to 7 days, while others require 10 to 15 days due to production complexities.

Q. Can ADC design my card?
A. Yes, ADC can design any type of card, promotional packaging and direct mail.