Glossary of ID Terms
Butterfly Pouch
Laminate that does not have any sealed edges. Instead it is punched from one piece of plastic and scored to allow it to be folded over Teslin.
Carrier
Coated cardboard for use during lamination to protect both the laminator and item being laminated from contamination. The item being laminated is placed in to the carrier and then ran through the laminator. Can be reused many times. Not all laminators require a carrier, check your laminators documentation.
ID Die Cutter
A machine that is able to cut card stock, teslin, laminated cards, and PVC cards - usually to cut individual cards from a sheet of cards.
Hologram
A unique printing process that provides a three-dimensional effect on a flat surface. Holograms cannot be easily copied and are used for security and aesthetic purposes on cards.
Hot Laminator
A machine which uses heat and pressure to adhere a laminate to card stock/teslin.
ID
Identification, usually referring to an identification card such as an employee ID badge.
Inkjet Printer
A type of computer printer that operates by propelling tiny droplets of liquid ink onto paper.
Laminate
A thin transparent plastic applied to teslin to provide protection and give it a certain finish.
Laminator
(Hot Laminator) A machine which uses heat and pressure to adhere a laminate to card stock/teslin.
Laser Printer
A type of printer that uses toner and laser light to print images on paper. It is normally faster and produces better quality documents than an inkjet printer, but is much more expensive.
Magnetic (Mag) Stripe
Found on most plastic credit and ID cards, this electromagnetic surface is capable of holding a small amount of information.
Mil
A unit of measurement equal to 1/1000th inch (0.001 inch).
PVC Card
(Polyvinyl Chloride) Card. The most common type of card used (ex: credit cards, membership cards, etc)
Teslin
A synthetic paper which is able to be printed on using an inkjet or laser printer, and is able to be thermally bonded during lamination to form a solid card.