Issue Date:    10 February 2009

The benefits of Payne Security’s complete card management service have allowed the University of Greenwich to provide its students with the latest high-quality personal ID cards without the expense of buying specialist equipment.

Previously, The University of Greenwich produced laminated ID cards using in-house equipment but students complained that the results looked flimsy and unprofessional.

It was while researching the card market and the options available to improve the quality of their cards that The University of Greenwich learned of Payne Security’s complete card management service.  Providing a credible and practical alternative to producing cards in-house, Payne Security’s service removes the high cost both of equipment and staff time as well as optimising the appearance and security of cards using its state-of-the-art digital printing facility.

Payne Security designers worked with The University of Greenwich to create a versatile, secure and eye-catching design that gave a strong corporate identity to remove the risk of the card being copied.  In addition, the PVC cards benefit from a superb quality, highly durable finish which locks all essential data and graphics into the core of the card to prevent tampering or fraudulent alteration of the card. 

The final design chosen by The University of Greenwich also differentiates types of student – such as research, partner or associate – by means of a distinctive stripe, which is easily added by the digital print process at the time of production. Also to maximise the card’s functionality, Payne Security included a readable barcode for library use and an encoded Magnetic stripe used for accessing photocopying and printing services.

Staff at The University of Greenwich simply upload the cardholder data to Payne Security’s secure ftp server. The cards are printed using the latest digital presses, encoded and checked before being sent out and delivered directly to the cardholder’s address as part of Payne Security’s fulfilment service.  To date an initial supply of 20,000 cards have already been delivered to students, with further orders to follow.

“Card production has been taken away totally, giving us one less thing to worry about,” confirms Henry Hill of the University of Greenwich.  “For a low cost-per-card, we also benefit from Payne Security’s expertise in creating a multi-functional, highly secure and professional-looking means of student ID.”