Datacard Group Introduces New Technologies for Gift, Loyalty & Scratch-off Markets.

Thermal-like printing and comprehensive print finishing capabilities offer unprecedented flexibility and accelerate speed to market

PARIS -- DatacardGroup, the world leader in secure ID and card personalization solutions, today demonstrated a suite of new technologies designed for card printing, personalization, attaching and packaging at CARTES 2006. These new systems, which include the DatacardCPST MJ7500[TM] card personalization system and a family of Datacard Ga-Vehren Attacher([R]) systems can operate separately or inline. As an inline solution, the systems are the only available on the market today that combine personalization and packaging processes to simultaneously personalize cards and forms in a single pass.

These new Datacard([R]) offerings follow the company's recent acquisition of Card Personalization Systems Technology (CPST) and Ga-Vehren Engineering. The MJ7500 system and the Attacher systems are now being sold and supported globally under the Datacard brand, enhancing customers' experiences with the strength and security of Datacard Group's worldwide sales and service network.

"We're excited to integrate the personalization and finishing systems offered by CPST and Ga-Vehren into the Datacard product portfolio," said Jeff Peters, vice president and managing director of the Datacard Ga-Vehren subsidiary. "Customers will benefit from these industry-leading technologies, as well as the added value of the company's 37 years of industry leadership, world-class engineering and global service expertise."

The MJ7500 system is designed for personalizing cards at the highest possible speeds. Featuring UV-curable, Drop-on-Demand (DoD) inkjet printing technology, it produces high-quality cards at speeds up to 30,000 cards per hour (CPH) for cards with bar codes and up to 60,000 CPH for PIN and scratch-off applications. The system offers a unique combination of outstanding throughput, thermal-like printing and low cost-per-card, making it ideal for customers who want to enter or expand their presence in the gift, loyalty or scratch-off telecom card markets.

The Attacher systems offer a versatile array of more than 20 product attaching and finishing selections, providing a variety of creative packaging options to maximize profitability. These systems are designed for many markets including gift cards, telecom cards, loyalty cards, financial cards, commercial printing, binderies and direct mail houses. In addition, the Attacher systems can feature a DoD inkjet head inline with its packaging options to allow for inkjet personalization of the card and form in one pass. This modular system provides excellent positional accuracy, easy setups and quick changeovers.

"These systems truly optimize the personalization and finishing processes," said Peters. As stand-alone systems the MJ7500 system and Attacher systems operate at the highest speeds available to the market today. As a combined inline solution, the ability to simultaneously personalize cards and forms in a single pass, as well as affix and package, take operational efficiencies to a whole new level."

Datacard Group offers the world's best-selling secure ID and card personalization solutions. The company's portfolio includes systems for high-volume card issuance, card delivery, secure ID issuance and passport production, plus extensive service and supply offerings. Datacard Group serves customers in more than 120 countries (www.datacard.com).