UV printing turns a metal card into a vivid brand surface while retaining the weight and edge quality of metal. The ink is laid onto the surface and cured instantly under UV light — which is why full colour on metal needs an opaque white underbase, and why colour, adhesion, and scan zones are proofed on the selected finish rather than on screen.
Full-colour branding, gradients, hospitality artwork, campaign cards, clear data zones, and controlled variable print.Premium metal card programs where the finish, data zones, and RF construction need coordinated approvalProjects with a defined artwork file, variable-data need, and reader or scan validation route
Four uv colour print references for planning the finished metal card.
Cobalt panels, small colour accents, proof strips, and underbase registration — how UV colour behaves on metal faces.
01 / What this showsColour-panel registration
02 / What this showsControlled colour accent
03 / What this showsColour proof samples
04 / What this showsWhite underbase detail
(02) — Metal Card Printing Specs
Why metal print starts with a white underbase.
UV inks are translucent and metal is non-absorbent. Printed directly onto the face, colours go dull and the metal tone shifts every hue above it — so full-colour artwork sits on an opaque white base, cured layer by layer. Adhesion is proofed on the actual finish, because a mirror face and a matte coating hold ink differently.
(03) — Metal Card Printing Specs
Prove visual and technical performance together.
Approve colour proof, white underbase, edge registration, scan contrast, and final reader behavior.
(04) — Applications
Best uses for UV colour print.
The practical route is selected from the system, audience, and handling context before the final metal finish and mark treatment are approved.
Best for
Full-colour branding, gradients, hospitality artwork, campaign cards, clear data zones, and controlled variable print.
Premium metal card programs where the finish, data zones, and RF construction need coordinated approval
Projects with a defined artwork file, variable-data need, and reader or scan validation route
Quote details
Target reader, lock, phone, scanner, or platform
Metal finish, quantity, and packaging need
Artwork files, data file, and encoding requirements
Sample approval and delivery deadline
(05) — Specification
Production details to confirm before sample or batch.
Metal card production should confirm body construction, finish, chip route, data handling, marking layers, and approval samples in one brief.
FormatCR80 85.6 x 54 mm by default; custom outlines after RF reviewThickness0.3 mm to 0.8 mm depending on constructionMinimum orderNone — single samples to production runsProduction timeAbout one week after artwork and sample approvalRF constructionAntenna, ferrite or hybrid shielding, chip, metal faces, and edge stack specified togetherChip routesNFC tag, standard HF, high-security AES HF, LF compatibility, and selected UHF by reader testMarking optionsLaser etch, deep engraving, UV print, white ink, enamel fill, QR, serial, and controlled cut-throughApproval flowFinish sample, encoded working sample, reader check, pre-production approvalPrimary routeUV colour printBest useFull-colour branding, gradients, hospitality artwork, campaign cards, clear data zones, and controlled variable print.Approval checkApprove colour proof, white underbase, edge registration, scan contrast, and final reader behavior.
01Why does metal UV printing need a white underbase?
UV inks are translucent. Printed directly onto metal, colours turn dull and shift with the surface tone; an opaque white base under the artwork restores true colour. The underbase is part of every full-colour metal proof.
02Can UV print carry gradients and photographic artwork?
Yes — gradients, full-colour illustration, and campaign artwork all print, with the white underbase carrying the colour. Edge registration and the smallest readable detail are approved on the physical proof.
03Does UV ink affect the card's RFID behaviour?
Ink itself has no RF effect. What matters is that print proofs happen on the final approved construction — switching metal face or thickness after colour approval restarts the RF check.
(08) — Quote UV colour print
Send quantity, chip, material, print and encoding requirements.
Engineered antenna pathFerrite or hybrid RF structureLaser and deep engravingBrushed, plated, coated finishesUID, NDEF, and access encodingSample kits and production approval
