PLASTIC CARDS

In our daily lives, we currently use plastic cards for numerous purposes, from financial transactions, ID cards to private subscription applications and phone calls. Some of these cards are colored with or without pictures and writings on and the others are plain and blank. In time, it appeared the necessity of being compliant with some specific standards brought for such plastic cards that have an extensive field of use and ISO (International Standards Organization) has set some standards for plastic cards. Sizes and materials of cards, contact locations thereon, characteristics of flexibility, electricity, etc. are all defined by these standards and minimum requirements are notified to the card manufacturers.

Some standards for plastic cards are as follows:

• ISO-7810 “ID Cards – Physical characteristics”

• ISO-7811 “ID Cards – Register writing techniques”

• ISO-7812 “ID Cards – Numbering and registration procedures”

• ISO-7813 “ID Cards – Cards for financial transactions”

• ISO-4909 “Bank Cards – Content of magnetic strip; track 3”

• ISO-7816 “Asynchronized Smart Cards”

•  ISO-1443 “Non-contact communication between smart cards”

1.1 Plastic Cards With Barcode

Plastic cards have variety of features depending on the application. Card features are specified due to types of applications. Barcode labels are already being used in wholesale and retail sales industry for a long time. Barcode labels help categorize products and necessary information is transferred to pricing, stock tracing, invoice etc. applications. There are some standards in barcode labels as well. For example UPC and EAN are the most common ones among these standards. Barcode labels are sticked or printed on cards and this makes them distinguished. These cards can be used in any application operating on a reader-based system, provided that the system is online. Advantages and disadvantages of the usage of Barcode plastic cards as university cards are as follows:

+          Card unit cost is low

+          Establishing and starting the operation of the system is fast.

+          There is very common hardware support because the technology is old.

-           It is very easy to make counterfeit cards.

-           Security relating to the card raises the cost (logo, screw print, laser paint etc.)

-           All transactions should be made through connecting to the host system.

-           Impossible to store information on the card.

-           Not compatible with E-Purse applications.

 1.2 Magnetic Strip Cards

The strip at the backside of the card is approximately 1.5 cm wide, and has the capability to keep information in magnetic media. There are 3 different lines on the magnetic strip and it is possible to write data in different sizes and format on these three different lines. For example second line is in the middle and can keep data composed of 40 characters. 107 characters can be kept in the same space at the third line. As you can see the information in line 3 can be damaged easier when compared to line 2. The most common standard in magnetic strip cards is ISO Track#1,2,3. The cards compatible with these standards can keep maximum 226 characters. Defect rate is very high in magnetic strip cards when they are used intensely, because corrosion occurs magnetic specs due to friction. 

Advantages and disadvantages of the usage of magnetic strip cards as university cards are as follows:

+ Card unit cost is low

+ Establishing and starting the operation of the system is relatively fast.

+ There is very common hardware support because the technology is old.

+ Information is kept as coded.

- It is relatively easy to make counterfeit cards.

- Security relating to the card raises the cost (logo, screw print, laser paint etc.)

- There is limited data storage capacity on the card.

- Data security is low.

- Data kept on the card gets affected from magnetic areas and might be defected.

- Cards get defected due to intense usage. They are not compatible in Public transportation applications.

- Card reader hardware breakdown very often because of their mechanical parts and friction. Maintenance cost is high.

- Only on-line connection is possible in E-Purse applications.

- Financial support has ended due to non-compatibility to EMV. This technology will be very expensive in short term.

1.3 Smart Cards

The idea of bringing new function to the card by embedding chip into the plastic card, was patented by a researcher, Robert Moreno in 1970's.The evolutions that would shape this idea, was started by 2 German scientists since from this date. Smart cards has begun to be used first in France and then in Germany in pay phones. Due to the high amount of usage, investments to this technology has increased in a short span of time and standardization period has started. Smart cards are categorized as; smart cards including microprocessor, smart cards including memory, contacted cards, contactless cards, hybrid cards, and combi cards. Every application has its own requirements such as security, memory, communication, budget, technology, etc. The appropriate smart card type should be selected by considering the above requirements. The applications performed by smart cards must be acceptable to the specific standards. For instance, smart cards used as bank card should be EMV compatible. Contactless cards that would be used in public transport applications should be ISO14443 compatible. The standards in the applications are being used by

Considering the security, reliability and enlargement factors. Nowadays the memory capacities of smart cards in commercial usage sense is increased to 64KB levels. Every passing day due to the new technologies, memory capacities are increasing. The smart cards including microprocessor, involves high level security methods. SIM cards used in GSM applications are also the contacted smart cards including microprocessor. We can sort the advantages and disadvantages of the usage of the smart cards as university card as follows: + The imitation of the cards is not possible practically.

+ Allows the multi application.

+ Because of the enough memory capacity, required information can be hold in the card

+ Allows the Off-line transaction.

+ Is ideal for E-Payment applications.

+ Provides high level data security.

+  Maintenance cost is low. It is affected in less proportion from environmental conditions.

- Cost per card is high.

- Setup of the system and beginning of the operation is in slow proportion.

- Because of the technology is new, less and expensive proportion of industrial support is available.