A Guide to Printing Gift Cards

A good loyalty or gift card should represent your business clearly, fit comfortably in a customer’s wallet, and work smoothly at checkout. Choosing the right format, finish, and account identification helps customers use the card and staff manage the program.

The Role of Physical Cards

Loyalty cards reward customers for returning to your business. They can identify a rewards account or record progress toward a complimentary item. Gift cards let one customer purchase value for someone else to spend. Give each card a clear purpose and explain how customers can use it.

A physical card can be presented without opening an app or unlocking a phone. It also gives gift buyers something tangible to place in an envelope or hand to a recipient. Your logo, colors, and artwork keep the business recognizable whenever the customer sees the card.

Choose The Right Card

Online River offers custom gift cards, loyalty cards, V.I.P. cards, writable cards, and punchable reward cards, as well as accessories for gift cards such as card sleeves, card holders, and card hangers. Gift and loyalty cards can include barcodes or magnetic stripes to identify an account. V.I.P. cards can identify customers entitled to your chosen benefits, while writable cards provide space for information added by hand. Punchable reward cards offer a simple way to track qualifying purchases or visits. Employees punch a designated space each time the customer qualifies. Show the number of purchases required and explain the reward earned when the card is complete.

All cards have barcodes included in the price.

Which Barcode is Right

The barcode must match your loyalty reward management system’s requirements. Code 39, and Code 128 are standard options, but Online River can print any barcode symbology. Your system administrator or vendor should confirm which format and numbering rules your store’s needs.

When ordering include:

• Barcode format and number length, including prefixes, leading zeros, and check digits.
• An approved starting number or data file, checked against existing accounts.
• Barcode placement and the readable number printed beside or below it.
• Matching requirements for cards and key tags.

Online River provides free sample proofs for any kind of barcode symbology so it can be tested with circulation-desk scanners and self-checkout equipment.

When Designing your Gift Cards

Use the front of the card for the business name, logo, and artwork. Reserve the back for the barcode, account number, website, and brief instructions for activating card or returning a found one.

Readable type and strong contrast matter more than filling every available space. Keep text clear of from the trim of the card, key tags, and key holes by at least 1/8” and allow a bleed of 1/8” for solid-colored cards or cards with artwork that fills the whole card or goes over the trim.

Specify exactly where patrons or staff will write. A glossy and matte surface serve different purposes, so the proof should clearly identify any area intended for handwriting.

Material and Thickness

A 30-mil card is the thickness of a credit card. Online River’s gift cards are laminated Teslin cards. The press prints a thinner synthetic-paper core, which is then laminated and cut. Teslin manufacturers identify the material to be the best suitable for card and key tag printing and lamination.

Printing Equipment 

Online River’s equipment includes Heidelberg Speedmaster CD74 six-color offset presses, HP Indigo 3050 digital presses, Webtron 750 label presses, Aquaflex, and Zigzag presses. These machines print cards in a variety of styles, add unique names and numbers, apply protective coatings, cut cards to size, and store information on magnetic stripes.