Manufacturing
Getting it made is the hard part.
A design is a file until somebody produces it well. We source the build: we specify it, place it with a producer who can hold that spec, run sampling, and supply the finished cards.
Why it matters
Card producers are not interchangeable.
They specialise. One is excellent at high-volume plastic and mediocre at metal. Another does beautiful engraving and cannot take your volume. A third is perfect and has a nine-month queue. Choosing badly costs you a launch date, and you usually find out at sampling, which is far too late.
We have spent years putting finished designs into production and seeing which producers come back right. That is what you are buying here: the specification, the placement and someone accountable for what arrives.
- Plastic at volume
- Standard and recycled substrates, matte and gloss laminates, foil, spot detail and coloured edges. The producers who are fast and consistent at scale are not always the ones who are best at a showpiece.
- Metal and premium
- Stainless steel, gold and titanium, with other metals possible on request. Laser engraving, etching, PVD coating and hybrid constructions. A short list of producers do this properly, and they are not interchangeable.
- Wearables and alternative formats
- Rings, keyfobs, stickers and payment-enabled objects. A different supply chain again, with its own certification path.
- Personalisation and fulfilment
- Embossing, indent printing, encoding, carrier cards, packaging and direct-to-cardholder mailing.
How it runs
From approved design to finished cards.
- 01
We understand the programme
Volume, tier, market, launch date, budget and what the card has to say about you. These decide which producers are even worth approaching.
- 02
We specify the build
Substrate, finish, personalisation and packaging, written as a specification a producer can quote against rather than a description they interpret.
- 03
We place it
With a producer from our network who can hold that specification at your volume and date. We quote you one price for the finished cards.
- 04
Sampling
The first physical step after design. Samples show what the finish actually does to your artwork, and it is normal to adjust after seeing them.
- 05
We hold the producer to it
Artwork questions come to us during the run, and the answer comes from whoever drew the card. What arrives is checked against what was specified.
Sourcing is quoted separately from the design packages, because it depends entirely on your volume, format and finish. Tell us about your programme.
Have a design already?
We can take an approved design, prepare it for production and source the cards, so what arrives is what you signed off.