Entrust Unveils Tool that Promises More Durable Payment Cards

Entrust, a trusted identify and digital infrastructure company that produces equipment for the on-site production of payment cards, announced Tuesday (Sept. 13) the availability of a new tool that it said will make flat cards more durable and as a result save issuers money.

The technological development that is allowing the issuance of improved cards is a new “Light Curing Module” that was development for an Entrust card-issuing system called Entrust Sigma DS4, according to today’s announcement. The system is about the size of a larger toaster.

Flat cards are payments cards that don’t have raised lettering or numbering.

The new Entrust system also will allow the production of cards with “bolder colors and designs” that will help issuers establish their brands, Tuesday’s (Sept. 13) announcement stated. Similar Entrust light curing capabilities already have been used by high-volume card issuers to generated “tens of millions” of cards, the announcement stated.

According to the announcement, the new light curing modules can be integrated into existing Sigma DS4 systems.

“We’ve taken our experience in payment card issuance systems for high-volume clients and applied it to new innovations for our Sigma platform,” Entrust Senior Vice President and General Manager, Instant Issuance at Entrust Tony Ball said in a prepared statement. “Leveraging our expertise and technology of more than 50 years in the making, allows us to expand our direct-to-card instant issuance solutions to provide financial institutions the competitive differentiation they need.”

Minneapolis-based Entrust stated in marketing materials that it has more than 2,800 employees and customers in more than 150 countries.

The systems can be used to create cards with chips to be used in chip-readers operated by merchants, according to the announcement. Such cards are often called “EMV-compliant.”