Numbered Plastic Cards: How Sequential Numbering Works

Why number your cards?

Five ways a card can carry its number

A number can be printed for people to read, or carried in a form a machine reads, or both. Most numbered cards use two: a printed number, plus whatever your till or door reader needs.

1. Printed number. Read by people. Printed with the design and sealed under the clear PVC, so it can’t wear off.
2. Embossed number. Raised characters, like a bank card: 5mm or 3mm tall, in black, metallic silver or metallic gold.
3. Magnetic strip. Read by a swipe reader. We encode it for you, or leave it blank for you to encode.
4. Barcode. Read by a scanner at a till or door. Code39 is the most popular; Code128 and EAN5 are also available.
5. QR code. Read by a phone or a scanner. It can carry the number, or a different web address on every card.

RFID cards carry data in a chip inside the card. We supply them unencoded, so if your system needs a number written to the chip, you write it yourself; a printed or barcoded number on the outside of the card can still match it.

Choosing a number format

Two small tipsA small organisation wanting to look larger can start at 10001. And it’s worth holding card number 1 back for someone who will appreciate it.

Code39 and Code128 barcodes can carry letters as well as numbers, so a prefix like M-0427 can go in the barcode too. Check with your till or software provider which barcode type and format it expects before you choose.

One number, several places

When the same number appears more than once on a card, printed and in a barcode, say, the two have to match on every card. Give each one its own column in your file, one row per card, and we print each card from its row.

The printed number and the barcode value don’t have to be identical, as above, where the barcode drops the hyphen. What matters is that each row is complete and the columns stay in the same order on every file you send.

Supplying your own numbers

If the numbers aren’t a simple run from a start number, send them in an Excel file. Everything in the file is printed, so it must hold only what goes on the cards.

• One file, one worksheet, with every card in it.
• No hidden or blank rows or columns.
• Nothing that shouldn’t be printed. No notes, no totals, no “not sure”.
• Format number columns as Text before you type or paste. Otherwise Excel removes leading zeros, so 0427 becomes 427, and turns long numbers into scientific notation.
• The same layout every time. A re-order file laid out differently can waste a whole order of cards.
• Attach the file to an email, even for one card. Never type the details into the body of the email.

Our Excel file guidelines include an example file to download, and our guide to gift card codes in Excel or CSV shows how to stop Excel changing your numbers, step by step.

Where the number goes

A printed number can go anywhere on the card, front or back, at any size and in any CMYK colour. Matching it to a colour in your logo makes it look designed in rather than stamped on.

• On the front if someone checks it at a door: membership cards, passes and permits.
• On the back, small if it’s for your records: gift card serial numbers and stock numbers.
• Under a barcode as well as in it, so it can be typed in if the scanner fails.
• Clear of everything else, with room for the longest number, and 3mm inside the edge of the card.

Re-orders, and numbering cards as you go

When you re-order, carry the numbers on from where the last order finished, so no two cards share a number. Tell us the last number you issued, or send a file laid out exactly like the first one.

If you don’t know all the details when you order, members who haven’t joined yet, for instance, our bureau personalisation service holds your printed cards and adds each member’s name and number as they join. Email us an Excel file with the new details: if it arrives before 1pm we strive to send the cards the same day, but please allow 3 working days. For ordering the right quantity in the first place, see how many cards to order.