I am researching information technology for use in consumer transaction processing:
1. What equipment is needed to manufacture embossed plastic cards with
magstripes on the back, such as ATM cards and credit cards?
2. Can such equipment be interfaced to a computer system that allows
use of a relational database as the source of the information on the
plastic card (e.g., ID number, consumer's name, and info on the
magstripe)?
3. List the vendors of such equipment.
4. Are the "card readers" generic devices that can be interfaced to
any computer system?

I would appreciate both technical detail in these answers, and leads
to further research, especially vendors.

Hi, 

Magnetic stripes or magstripes are pretty common now, I can?t seem to
go any place these days without someone trying to hand me one. Cards
can be made, created, or simply printed. The magstripe can come with a
set of codes on it, so you swipe it, then add information to the
database, or you can add data to the database and then encode it on
the card. Normally a simple unique number and perhaps an amount, or
some other basic information is encoded on the card, and the database
has the rest of the information keyed off that unique number.

There is a ton of information in the following links, starting with
the basics and getting pretty technical. Following that are major
manufactures, and then suppliers.

Like any magnetic format, computer disks, cassette tapes, etc, the
cards can hold a variety of information, and can be coded to your
purposes. The cards themselves, as you will see with these links can
look anyway you want them too. The readers all tie to computer
programs which range from the simple home pc type database, to
enterprise level databases. Just about every computer OS on the market
has a software package which can get the information from the card,
and use it to look up the records you are wanting to look up.
Honestly, if you have an idea for how to use these, then there is
probably a package or method of doing it, already available.

The following pages should cover just about anything you need to know,
but if there is something else, then please don?t hesitate to use the
clarification button, and let me know what I missed.


How does a magnetic stripe on the back of a credit card work?
http://money.howstuffworks.com/question503.htm

FAQ on magnetic stripes and how they work (lots of info here)
http://www.aimglobal.org/technologies/card/magnetic_stripe_faqs.asp


PDF Magnetic Stripe Reader (more technical here)
http://www.magtek.com/docs/99875063.pdf

Magnetic Stripe Glossary (so you can talk the talk)
http://www.aimglobal.org/technologies/card/msglossary.htm



Main Manufactures

IDTeck
http://www.idtech.be/en/hardware.html

MagTeck
http://www.magtek.com/



Card Vendors
http://www.thomasregister.com/olc/15768450/cards.htm

http://www.thermal-labels-printers.co.uk/Card_Printers.htm



Strip Readers

http://www.hallogram.com/barcodes/scanners/omniseries/index.html

http://www.instrument.com/ctm/tm8501.asp

http://www.mkgsoft.com/scanners/stripreaders.htm



Other

http://www.smarthome.com/743310.html

http://www.pdasupport.com/PalmScanners.htm


queries used 

+"Magnetic Stripe" +reader
IPC +Card +Strip
Magnetic Stripe +reader +coder
+magstripes


thanks, 

webadept-ga

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Clarification of Answer by webadept-ga on 11 Feb 2004 15:12 PST

Oh.. forgot this link of vendors and manufactures from the google directory
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Hardware/Systems/Smartcards/Readers/

Thanks, 

webadept-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by citizen3591-ga on 11 Feb 2004 15:39 PST

Thank you. My question regarding vendors, though, seeks vendors of the
card printing equipment itself; you provided only one such reference.
Can you find other vendors of the card printers?

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Clarification of Answer by webadept-ga on 11 Feb 2004 16:13 PST

Sure, I can do that.. from what I saw that will be no problem at all.
I'll work on that tonight and post you a extensive list then.

thanks, 

webadept-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by citizen3591-ga on 12 Feb 2004 11:17 PST

...any progress on that extensive list you promised?

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Clarification of Answer by webadept-ga on 12 Feb 2004 13:27 PST

Yep.. I'll be getting to that shortly.. is there any particular part
of the US or Canada or Europe you would like this list to settle
around, or is any website which supplies these enough?

Appologize for the delay, the day job jumped up and bit me. 

webadept-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by citizen3591-ga on 12 Feb 2004 14:33 PST

U.S. and Canadian vendors are acceptable, thanks.

---

Clarification of Answer by webadept-ga on 13 Feb 2004 02:46 PST

Hi, 

Here's the list I gathered together tonight. Something which has
crossed my mind, is that while there are specialty printers for these
cards, they are just plastic cards which any company working in
printing on plastic could create for you. This may be something to
check out. Anyway, I have several printer suppliers here picked out
individualy, and then a couple of links to large listing of suppliers
for printers, card makers, magstripe supplies and software there at
the bottom.


Printers and Suppliers

http://www.smartcardsupply.com/Content/Printers/magicard_printers.htm

http://www.canadianbarcode.com/profiles/p210.htm

http://www.incodenet.com/

http://www.metrocardsolutions.com/gifttran/prohard.html

http://www.idhouse.com/magread1.htm

http://www.plascoid.com/

http://www.plastic-cards-now.com/

http://www.eltroncards.com/

http://www.amercard.com/

http://www.axiohm.com/contactus/index.htm

http://www.idwholesaler.com/products/cardprinters/

http://www.plascoid.com/service.asp

http://www.a-card.com/?source=findwhat



Big Lists

http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/Security/Identification_and_Authentication_Systems/ID_Cards/

http://dmoz.org/Business/Industrial_Goods_and_Services/Machinery_and_Tools/Etching,_Embossing,_Marking/

http://dmoz.org/Business/Retail_Trade/Technology/Point_of_Sale/Hardware/Manufacturers/


If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask using the
clarification button. I may not get back instantly, as I am just a
little busy right now, but I will get back to you and try to get you
anything else you might need pertaining to this question.

thanks, 

webadept-ga

This response is complete, very informative, and very useful.