For discussion purposes we have selected a general category of ID cards which we have classified as Specialty Cards. Specialty cards are separated from a standard plastic, P.V.C., or composite card previously mentioned.

Proximity cards

Proximity cards are another form of plastic (ID cards) that contain an embedded antenna which transmits encoded information as a radio frequency signal. This card when placed in front of or in close proximity to a reader, (typically 2 inches to 15 inches) will pick up the encoded radio signal which in turn identifies the card. Once the card is identified the card reader will then accept or reject the proximity card. Unlike RFID card proximity cards do not contain any smart information and can not have any new information written to them.

Proximity cards works in conjunction with our software to link information about the card holder to the proximity reader. Proximity cards are used mainly for access to certain areas.

There are several ways a proximity card can be personalized with employee names, photographs, company logos or other data. Some of the card manufactures have printers which will directly print to a proximity card, this is not a bad choice but remember the data on a proximity card is fixed so re-issuing the same card is not practical.

Another way to place personalized data on to a proximity card is to purchase a CR79 card with adhesive backing. The CR79 card is slightly smaller then the proximity card thus allowing the CR79 adhesive backed card to be affixed to the proximity card. All the major card printer manufactures have printer models that will print onto a adhesive CR79 card. The advantage to this method is if you need to re-issue the proximity card you merely remove the adhesive backed CR79 card portion from the proximity card and affix a new CR79 card to the existing proximity cards.

Which ever method you select our software products will accomplish this task for you.

RFID cards

RFID cards come in a variety of combinations for features and functionality and are very similar the proximity cards. The main difference is a proximity card transmits the limited information that is embedded (encoded) into the antenna. An RFID Card has an antenna connected to an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The card information/data is stored in the IC Chip when a RFID card comes in close proximity to a reader the antenna accesses information on the chip which is in turn transmitted via the antenna. The most commonly stored data in an RFID card is serial numbers which identifies an item or person.

You will most likely recognize RFID technology used in department store and retail outlets as you enter or exit a store. In this application the RFID readers are looking for items which have not yet been purchased. This same technology is also being used to identify and track personnel in secure photo ID applications.

Combinational or Hybrid RFID cards are based on the same principals of the RFID cards but contain additional circuitry such as Smart chips or additional IC Chips. These added features give you the ability to read and write data to the combination or Hybrid RFID cards, an example might be a Point of Sale (POS), transit system, or loyalty program where you are adding or deducting points or fares.

Smart Cards

Smart cards are also becoming a generic term for ID cards which have embedded into the surface either memories or micro-processors, for the storage or computation of data. In their simplest form smart cards hold additional data that neither the proximity or RFID cards have the capacity to hold.

Today most card printer manufactures promote printers with smart card encoding. But beware as there are no real set standards for how the data is structured on these smart cards. Each Smart card manufacture has their own unique data structures thus smart cards are not bases on an open architecture. Our software is compatible with both the card encoder printers and the chips themselves; however we may need to spend some time customizing your smart card application.

Smart cards come in two basic forms:

Come in conventional sizes and contain an embedded IC Chip which usually only contains memory similar to your floppy disk or CD you would find in your desk-top or portable computer. However, do not get to excided as memory capabilities in these IC Chips are in Kbytes (1,000’s) not Mbytes (1,000,000’s) so your data is limited. We would not recommend storing secure or sensitive data on these cards. Not to bore you with specific details these Smart Cards are also available with micro-processors on them as a standard offering from many of the Smart Card manufactures.

Typically these types of cards are found in electronic commerce (e-card) applications such as electronic cash transfers (ATM), e-commerce (loyalty or meal programs), health cards, government ID’s and campus passes.

Contact-less Smart Cards have the same features as found in the smart cards however instead of the data being read by a contact pad the data is sent to an antenna which is then read via radio frequency as opposed to the contact pad. The basic difference is speed and the added convenience of reading the card contact-less as opposed to inserting the card into a reader.

Our software products are designed to work in conjunction with smart card applications. To come up with a seamless integration from your photo ID card software to the selected card printer to your actual card usage may require a little customization of our software, but the net results will be a total packaged solution as opposed to connecting many hardware and software components running independently.