FAQs

Email your artwork or artwork requirements to sales@cpcards.co.uk. If you need a quote first, use the quote request form. We often reply within minutes during business hours. There is no online checkout; every order is handled personally by our team.

We email quotes, often within minutes, during business hours. Use the quote request form and our sales team will respond fast. If you have an urgent enquiry, email us directly at sales@cpcards.co.uk.

The minimum order is 25 cards. Whether you need 25 for a small club or 25,000 for a national rollout, we can quote for any quantity. Larger quantities bring the unit cost down significantly.

Pricing depends on quantity, card type, and any extras such as RFID chips, variable data, or specialist finishes. The best way to get a price is to request a quote — it takes less than a minute and we’ll reply, often within minutes. We also run special offers on popular quantities; check the special offers page for current deals.

Yes. Our sample pack contains the different types of card we offer, so you can assess the print quality and feel before you order. The cost of the pack is deducted from your order if you order within 30 days.

To see your own design printed before the full run, add a postal proof to your order. We print a few real cards to your final spec on the production presses and post them to you for approval. It costs £65 +vat and takes around 5 working days. It is optional, and most customers go ahead on the free email proof. Postal proofs are for full colour cards; for hot foil cards, email sales@cpcards.co.uk to ask about a sample colour being posted to you.

We supply to everyone — sole traders, limited companies, clubs, charities, schools, and private individuals. If you need plastic cards, we can help regardless of the size or nature of your organisation.

Yes. We regularly run special offers on popular quantities of plastic business cards and other card types. See the current deals on our special offers page.

Yes. If you cannot supply print-ready artwork, our studio can design your card from scratch. We work from a document, a rough sketch, a photograph of your existing card, or one of our example designs. See the design service page for full details and pricing.

We accept PDF, EPS, AI (Adobe Illustrator), PSD (Photoshop), and high-resolution JPG or PNG files. For vector formats (PDF, EPS, AI), all fonts must be outlined or embedded. Full specifications are on our artwork guides page.

Yes, always. Once we have your artwork or requirements, our studio produces a free photorealistic email proof for you to check the layout and text. Nothing goes to print until you have approved it in writing. The colours on the proof are a guide only, because every screen shows colour differently. If a colour has to be right on a full colour card, add a postal proof.

Raster images (JPG, PNG, PSD) should be at least 600 dpi at actual print size. Vector files (PDF, EPS, AI) are resolution-independent and preferred for artwork containing text or logos. Full details on our artwork guides page.

Yes — for professional results, artwork should include a bleed area and keep important content (text, logos) within the safe zone. Our artwork guides page has exact measurements and template downloads. If you use our design service, we handle all of this for you.

Not exactly. We print in full CMYK, and we don't print Pantone colours or match to them. For the closest result, supply artwork with your brand colours set to CMYK values. If your brand uses Pantone references, we will convert them to the nearest CMYK equivalent — some Pantone colours, especially vivid ones, can't be reproduced exactly in CMYK, and printing on plastic and bonding clear PVC over the print shift the colour slightly again. The photorealistic proof we email you is for checking layout and text, because every screen shows colour differently. If a colour has to be right, order a postal proof to see it on a real printed card first. Our page on Pantone colours explains more.

Yes. The proof stage is exactly for this. Reply with your requested changes and we will revise the proof until you are happy. Once you give written approval, that version goes to print — so make sure everything is correct before you confirm.

We print a wide range including: plastic business cards, membership cards, loyalty cards, gift cards, discount cards, event passes, hotel key cards, RFID smart cards, combo cards, key fob cards, biodegradable cards, EcoTough cards, plastic-free board cards, frosted translucent cards, satin black cards, metallic cards, and white plastic cards.

Yes. Loyalty cards are one of our most popular products for hair salons, beauty salons, barbers, nail bars, spas, and similar businesses. We print full-colour loyalty cards with stamp boxes, QR codes, barcodes, or any layout you need, from a minimum of 25 cards. See our loyalty cards page for more.

Absolutely. We print membership cards for sports clubs, social clubs, gyms, professional associations, charities, schools, and more. Cards can include member names, membership numbers, expiry year, barcodes, or QR codes. See our membership cards page.

An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) card contains a chip and antenna embedded inside the plastic that communicates wirelessly with a compatible reader. They are used for access control, hotel room entry and loyalty systems. Yes, we supply custom-printed RFID smart cards. Visit our RFID smart cards page for more information.

Yes. We supply custom-printed hotel key cards with RFID or magnetic stripe technology compatible with your existing door lock system. Contact us with the details of your lock system, such as its brand and the chip specification and frequency, and we will advise on the right card. Cards are supplied unencoded, ready for your own encoder. See our hotel key cards page.

Yes. We offer four alternative materials: recycled PVC cards made from 98% recycled PVC, biodegradable plastic cards with an additive intended to speed up breakdown in the right conditions, EcoTough cards made with 20% recycled content, and plastic-free board cards for customers who want to avoid plastic entirely.

Yes. We print full-colour gift cards to credit card size. Note that we supply the printed cards — if you need the cards to be loaded with monetary value or linked to a payment system, you would need a separate gift card software provider. We print the cards; the technology layer is a separate decision. See our gift cards page.

A combo card is an 86 x 54mm plastic card with a 54 x 29mm key tag joined to it, printed as one piece. The two snap apart, so your customer keeps the card in a wallet and the tag on a keyring. See our combo cards page.

Our standard plastic cards are 0.76mm thick — the same gauge as a standard credit or debit card. This gives the premium, rigid feel that people associate with quality. Some specialist card types (such as board cards) have different thicknesses; ask us if this is critical to your project.

For full-colour printed cards, we offer both gloss and matt finishes. Gloss is vivid and high-impact; matt has a softer, less shiny look and makes fine scratches harder to see. Compare high gloss and premium matt. Specialist cards such as metallic, satin black, frosted translucent, and white plastic cards use hot foil printing rather than full colour printing.

Standard cards are made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), the same material used in bank cards. This gives durability, flexibility, and a premium feel. If you need an alternative material — biodegradable, recycled, or paper-based — we offer alternatives including biodegradable PVC, EcoTough, and plastic-free board.

Hot foil printing uses heat and pressure to transfer metallic, non-metallic and white ink colours onto the card surface, creating a striking visual effect not achievable with standard CMYK printing. We use this process on our metallic, satin black, clear frosted, and white plastic cards. The result is bold, high-contrast, and premium-looking. See the individual product pages for examples.

Yes. Standard PVC plastic cards are waterproof and built to last in a wallet. They are far more durable than paper or card alternatives, which is the whole point. The print is sealed under the clear PVC layer, not on the surface, so it can't scratch or wear off.

Yes. Double-sided printing is available and is standard practice. The reverse of the card is often used for terms and conditions, a barcode, contact details, or loyalty stamp boxes. Supply artwork for both sides and we will proof both before printing.

Yes. Free delivery on every order within Great Britain. No minimum spend, no hidden delivery charge added at checkout.

Standard turnaround is 7 working days from proof approval and payment. The clock starts when you approve your proof and pay — so if you do both quickly, the order moves quickly. If you have a firm deadline, tell us at the point of ordering and we will do our best to accommodate it.

Yes. Express production of 3 to 4 working days is available, depending on our current workload and the type of card. Ask us for cost and availability before you order, and tell us your deadline — we will tell you honestly whether we can meet it.

Yes. Delivery is free to all of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales, including their islands. Our delivery prices list the charges for Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands. For anywhere else, contact us for a delivery quote before ordering.

Cards are packed securely in boxes. There are no other packing options.

All our standard plastic cards are printed to CR80 credit card size: 86mm × 54mm. This is the internationally recognised standard for credit and debit cards, and fits in any standard wallet. Key fob cards are a different form factor; see the key fob page for dimensions.

Yes. We can print variable data — individual names, sequential numbers, unique barcodes, QR codes — across a run of cards. Supply your data as a spreadsheet and we will map it to the card template. Contact us to discuss the best way to set up your data file.

Yes. Barcodes and QR codes can be printed on your cards — either a single code on every card, or unique codes per card (variable data). Supply the data and we will generate and position the codes. QR codes should encode your URL or data; we print them, we do not host or manage the destination.

We supply cards with various chip options including MIFARE Classic, MIFARE DESFire, and other common RFID chips, supplied unencoded. The right chip depends entirely on your reader infrastructure. Contact us with your system requirements — the lock brand, existing chip type, or system supplier details — and we will advise on compatibility.

Yes. We can supply cards with magnetic stripes (HiCo or LoCo) and/or signature panels on the reverse. These are added at production. If you need encoding on the magnetic stripe, let us know what data needs to be encoded and in which tracks.

Every card is printed and manufactured in England. We have been supplying cards made in England since 1992. This matters for quality control, turnaround times, and for customers who care about buying British.