[Asterisk-biz] Who print scratch calling cards

[Steve Totaro]

Prepaid cards production can be amazingly deceiving. Many printers have
looked at a prepaid card and said to themselves "This is a cinch to
produce-our company should get into printing prepaid cards."

As a result, there is a plethora of printing companies and agencies in
the prepaid card production business. 
Determining which companies are good and which ones should be avoided is
a challenge to even the most seasoned print production buyer. 

This article is the first in a series designed to help educate buyers on
the basics of prepaid card production. 

  
Subsequent articles will cover topics such as the design process,
proofing and press checks, the printing process, die-cutting, variable
data application, finishing methods, assembly options, packaging choices
and shipping. 

Each article will outline the basics, how-to's, what to look for, things
to avoid and other helpful tips and suggestions. A fundamental
understanding of prepaid card design and production is critical
information to have in order to help distinguish between the seemingly
endless choices. The design and production of a prepaid card is a
carefully choreographed process that involves managing hundreds of
minute details. Overlooking even one miniscule detail can cost hundreds
or thousands of dollars in materials and delays. 
 
 Knowledge of the design and production process can benefit the end
customer, the agency in the middle, or the long distance time provider.
Regardless of what company design and produces the prepaid cards, basic
production knowledge helps to manage expectations-from customers and the
production agency or vendor. Companies that are veterans at designing
and producing prepaid cards know the importance of not just meeting, but
also managing customer expectations. 

The most important thing to remember about designing and printing
prepaid cards is that nothing replaces good planning and management.
Everyone wants their job done quickly-they are in a hurry and they
needed it yesterday. However, as with other manufacturing processes,
quality counts in the design and printing of prepaids. 
 
The age-old question of "How come you never have time to do it right,
but have time to do it over?" is very true about the prepaid industry.
Due to advances in technology, it is actually possible to get a product
that is good, fast and cheap- but even technology has its limits. 

When looking for a company to design and produce prepaid cards, take
time to research thoroughly. Ask for referrals and shop a few different
companies. Creating a standardized request for proposal form can provide
you with non-biased, objective criteria to compare services provided by
the companies being reviewed. Don't hesitate to ask questions, check
references or ask for samples. Another more subjective criterion is the
professionalism of the staff- how quickly do they return phone calls, do
they submit information when promised, are they responsive? 

Unfortunately, when customers have a bad experience with the design and
production of prepaid cards, they sometimes don't separate the mechanics
of producing prepaid cards from the functionalities of prepaid cards,
and they draw the conclusion that prepaid cards don't work or are too
much hassle. Especially in the early days of prepaid cards, poor
management of design and production tarnished the prepaid card industry
with cards in the market that didn't work due to production errors. The
combination of researching, planning and basic knowledge of design and
production can help avoid some costly and embarrassing mistakes. 


-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Rehan Ahmed
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 4:34 PM
To: ChitChat - Info; Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk
Discussion
Subject: Re: [Asterisk-biz] Who print scratch calling cards

do they have a phone number ?



> We used All State Printing in New Jersey and they did a great job. 791
> Paulison Ave Unit 3, Clifton, NJ 07011
> 
> We are not affiliated with them, but they provided us with good
> scratch cards, good bar code tracking stickers, etc.
> 
> On 10/4/04 7:31 AM, "Sjaak Nabuurs" <sjaak at vsm-hosting.nl> wrote:
> 
> > Hello
> > 
> > Does anybody know's who is printing callingcards with scratch
> > numbers, or stickers with scratch numbers in Europe or the US
> > 
> > Thanks
> > 
> > Sjaak
> > _______________________________________________
> > Asterisk-Biz mailing list
> > Asterisk-Biz at lists.digium.com
> > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Asterisk-Biz mailing list
> Asterisk-Biz at lists.digium.com
> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz

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