What is an NFC Card?
A Near Field Communication (NFC) card contains an embedded NFC chip and antenna. NFC cards are typically made from rigid, durable, waterproof materials such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), wood, or metal. Flexible versions made from paper or thin PVC are also available, with the chip and antenna sandwiched between material layers. In all NFC card types, the chip and antenna remain concealed within the material.
NFC cards function as digital proxies for individuals across access control, loyalty programs, identification, networking, and authentication systems, with specialized chip variants supporting transit and payment applications.
How to Choose an NFC Card
- Material: White PVC offers the most design flexibility. Colored PVC shows scratches more easily and limits design options. Metal NFC cards are not fully metal. They use composite construction (metal, ferrite, NFC inlay, adhesive, flexible PVC) and only scan from the non-metal side. Wood cards use various materials (bamboo, basswood, walnut) and scan from both sides. Paper and thin PVC are flexible variants with thin PVC longer lasting than paper.
- Availability: Blank white glossy PVC cards in CR80 size with or without pre-punched holes are maintained in stock in large volumes for immediate shipping. Colored PVC and other materials have a longer lead time with higher minimum order quantities. Non-standard card sizes and hole configurations require special ordering. Creating entirely new card dimensions requires a new mold fee.
- NFC Chip Type: NXP NTAG213 suits most projects. Specialized chips include NTAG215/216 for increased storage, ICODE SLIX for extended range, and NTAG424 DNA for cryptographic authentication.
Customizing an NFC Card
- Quick Printing: GoToTags offers rapid turnaround printing of basic text, digits, barcodes, and color artwork on white PVC stock. This service prioritizes speed over premium quality and does not include finishing or overlay.
- Premium Customization: See Custom NFC Cards for premium CMYK printing, silkscreen printing, engraving, and hot stamping. PMS color matching is available only with silkscreen printing and is limited to 1-2 colors.
- Encoding: Tags can be pre-encoded by GoToTags during purchase or self-encoded later using the Desktop App.
Recommendations
- Blank white PVC cards can be marked with permanent markers for simple identification.
- Before printing, verify the printer can handle 0.8 mm to 0.9 mm thickness of NFC cards, which exceed the standard ISO card thickness of 0.76 mm.
- White PVC cards can be printed with background colors, though card edges remain white.
- Print first, then punch holes to avoid printer damage and maintain print quality.
- Avoid punching through the NFC antenna area as this will disable card functionality. After punching holes, verify the card remains functional.
- Test NFC cards in the intended environment and with the specific hardware they will be used with to ensure performance meets expectations.
- Adhesive backing turns cards into sticky tokens; ferrite layers allow attachment to metal surfaces.
