Two cards can hold the same chip and open the same page and still feel completely different in the hand. Material and finish decide how a tap card looks on the table, how it stands up to a busy service, and how well it sits with the rest of a venue's design. The choice is not about which material is best, because none of them is; it is about which one suits the room. This article walks through the materials we work with, then the finishes that sit on top of them.
The Materials We Make
We make tap products in five common materials, and each one leans toward a different kind of item.
- PVC, the familiar card material, which suits cards and keychains.
- Acrylic, a rigid, thicker sheet that suits stands and freestanding items.
- PET, a thin, flat material that suits inlays and labels.
- Epoxy, a poured coating that seals and protects a printed face.
- Wood, a warmer surface that suits stands and keychains.
Every one of them can carry a chip, a dynamic QR code or both, and every one can be printed to order. The range is on our products page.
PVC and PET
PVC is the material most people picture when they hear the word card. It feels familiar in the hand, it takes print well, and it suits flat items such as custom cards and keychains. A guest who has handled a bank card or a loyalty card will understand a PVC tap card immediately, which is its quiet strength: it looks like something that should be tapped.
PET is thinner and flatter still, and it is a natural fit for items that should disappear into a surface. A wet inlay, a label or a low-profile tag on a table or a counter is the kind of job PET does well, because it adds almost nothing to the height of whatever it sits on.
Acrylic
Acrylic is the material behind a card that stands up. It is rigid and comes in clear and coloured forms, so it can hold a printed card at an angle on a table without a separate holder, or stand on its own as a clean slab. That makes it the obvious choice for table stands, where the item needs to be seen from a seated position and to stay put through a busy shift.
Its clarity is part of the appeal. A transparent acrylic stand lets the table show through, while a coloured one lets a venue match the room. Both take print on the surface, so a logo or an instruction reads clearly without obscuring the shape.
Wood and Epoxy
Wood brings a texture the other materials cannot. It suits venues that want a warmer, more crafted look, and it works well for stands and keychains where the material is part of the design rather than a container for a chip. A wooden stand can read as furniture rather than hardware.
Epoxy is less a base material than a finish that seals a printed face under a smooth, raised layer. It protects the print from handling and gives a glossy, rounded look, which suits cards and keychains that will be picked up and put down many times. Where durability of the printed face matters most, epoxy is often the practical answer.
Finishes: Gloss, Matte, Frosted and Transparent
The finish changes the feel of a card as much as the material does, and it is worth choosing deliberately.
- Gloss is shiny and makes print look sharp and vivid, though it reflects light and shows fingerprints more readily.
- Matte cuts glare, which helps a card read under warm restaurant lighting and makes the surface feel smoother to the touch.
- Frosted softens the surface and hides handling marks, which suits items on a busy table.
- Transparent lets the surface beneath show through, which keeps a tap point visually light on the table.
For a table in a dim room, matte or frosted usually wins on readability. For a display piece meant to draw the eye, gloss has more impact. You can see the finish options alongside the print choices on the customization page, and the guide helps if you want to compare them in order.
Not sure which material and finish suit your tables? Tell us how the room looks and how the items will be used, and we will recommend a combination. Reach us on WhatsApp at +86 151 0247 7198 or by email at nina@cwtape.com.