Richard Kwas, manager of distributorship Gemini Forms & Systems Inc.'s Credit Union division, Shelby Township, Mich., sends to customers monthly mailings promoting a key product.
A mailing on plastic cards caught the attention of Post Metro Credit Union, Battle Creek, Mich. Kwas already provided teller receipts, envelopes and forms to the credit union, which was facing problems with the paper identification cards it issued to its members. The cards wore off quickly and the credit union had to keep reissuing them, a cumbersome process. "They wanted something permanent unless a card was lost," Kwas says.
Kwas suggested that the credit union use plastic cards and showed it a sample ID card he had supplied to another credit union. Post Metro Credit Union liked the idea and asked Kwas to provide approximately 10,000 plastic cards. The distributorship worked with manufacturer Rainbow Printing, Uniontown, Ohio, to produce the white, credit card-sized cards. Each card included the member's name, account number and signature. The credit union verifies each member's identity by matching the signature on the card with other forms signed by the member.
The credit union needed a simple solution, Kwas says, and it now reissues a card only when a member loses it. "The credit union was thrilled," he says.
--Preeti Vasishtha
Sell complementary printing. In addition to plastic cards, provide envelopes, welcome letters, fulfillment and distribution for a client's marketing campaign. Offer to image phone cards, develop brochures and choose promotional items for your customer's marketing campaigns and events. Look for other opportunities for package deals, such as overdue notices and cards for your local library, or member cards, direct mail packages and coupons for a retailer's frequent customer program.
Prevent snares at the client's end. If a client designs cards in house, double check that the design meets the manufacturer's specifications. You'll save time you would have spent reconfiguring and reproofing. Work with the designer and make sure projects are completed to specifications. Also, some distributors warn clients that ink printed on plastics can run slightly or have slight variations in tone compared with the consistency of ink on paper.
Know your laminates. Laminates are applied to plastic cards after printing to make them more durable. The laminate can have a high-gloss or a matte finish, but investigate options because laminating can be expensive. Although liquid lamination is cheaper than plastic lamination, it's also less attractive. Some distributors choose not to laminate at all; it depends on how concerned a customer is with durability.
