Custom Printed Key Cards
Custom printed hotel key cards — full-bleed CMYK, Pantone matching, metallic foil and spot UV on RFID stock, encoded for every U.S. hotel lock system.
Overview
Custom printed hotel key cards are RFID key cards finished with your own artwork — full-bleed CMYK, Pantone brand colors, metallic foil and spot UV — on a card that still encodes for your locks. American Hotel Cards designs and prints them to brand-exact standards on PVC or sustainable stock, blank or pre-encoded, for VingCard, Saflok, Onity, SALTO and every major lock system.
The room key is the one piece of print a guest holds for their entire stay, yet most hotels treat it as a throwaway. Custom printing turns that overlooked card into a brand touchpoint — a front-of-card hero image, a back-of-card message, a foil monogram — without changing anything about how the lock reads it.
Our print is genuine production-grade: full-bleed CMYK for photography and gradients, Pantone spot colors for brand-exact matching, metallic and holographic foil for accents, spot UV for selective gloss against a matte field, plus sequential numbering, QR codes, signature panels and scratch-off zones on request. We hold color across reruns so your tenth reorder matches your first.
Underneath the artwork is a standard 13.56 MHz RFID card, so design freedom never compromises function: the card still taps-to-open and encodes on your system. We can print on standard PVC or on any of our sustainable cores — wood, bamboo, rPVC or seed paper — so the brand statement and the sustainability story can be the same card.
- Turning the room key into a memorable brand touchpoint
- Seasonal, suite-tier or event-specific card designs
- Foil monograms and spot-UV finishes for luxury properties
- Cards that carry on-property wayfinding, Wi-Fi or QR offers
- Co-branded cards for partnerships, F&B promotions or loyalty
Specification
The technical sheet
Real, verifiable specs — the numbers your facilities and procurement teams will ask for.
| Format | CR80 — 85.6 × 54 mm |
|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.76 mm (30 mil) standard |
| Material | PVC, rPVC, rPET, wood, bamboo or seed paper |
| Full-bleed CMYK · Pantone spot · metallic/holographic foil · spot UV | |
| Add-ons | Sequential numbering, QR, signature panel, scratch-off |
| Finish | Gloss, matte or soft-touch laminate |
| Chip options | MIFARE Classic 1K · MIFARE DESFire EV1/EV2/EV3 · NTAG |
| Frequency | 13.56 MHz · ISO/IEC 14443-A |
| Artwork | Print-ready PDF or our design assistance from your brand kit |
| MOQ | From 500 cards |
| Lead time | Approx. 2–3 weeks after artwork approval |
Compatibility
Works with your lock
Custom Printed Key Cards carry standard 13.56 MHz credentials, so they drop into the readers you already own. Pick your system to confirm the exact chip — or send us your lock model and we will spec it for you.
All lock systemsQuestions
Custom Printed Key Cards, answered
What artwork do you need from us?
A print-ready PDF at CR80 size with bleed is ideal. If you only have a logo and brand colors, send your brand kit and we will lay the card out for you, then share a proof before anything prints.
Can you match our exact brand color?
Yes. We print Pantone spot colors for brand-exact matching and hold that color across reorders, so your card looks the same every run rather than drifting between batches.
Do foil and spot UV interfere with the RFID chip?
No. The foil and UV are surface finishes; the antenna and chip sit in the card core. Metallic foil is applied so it does not detune the inlay, so the card still taps-to-open normally.
Can we print our design on a sustainable card?
Yes. The same custom artwork runs on wood, bamboo, rPVC or seed-paper cores, so one card can carry both your brand statement and your sustainability commitment.
How do reorders keep matching the original?
We keep your artwork, Pantone references and finish spec on file, so a reorder reproduces the original card. Share your reorder cadence and we will keep stock moving ahead of your needs.
Keep exploring
Pairs well with
RFID Hotel Key Cards
MIFARE® & NFC key cards encoded for any U.S. hotel lock system.
View
Eco Wood RFID Hotel Key Cards
FSC®-certified maple, walnut & birch cards with a natural, warm feel.
View
Key Card Sleeves & Holders
Printed paper sleeves, eco kraft holders and welcome-folder inserts.
View
NFC & Mobile-Key Cards
Tap-to-enter NFC cards that bridge plastic and mobile-key rollouts.
ViewReady when you are
See and feel custom printed key cards first
Request a free sample pack to check the stock, the print and the fit with your locks — or send us your lock model and quantity and we will come back with a tailored quote.
Prefer email? sales@americanhotelcards.com · samples@americanhotelcards.com