Still having problems counting Translucent or Black-Edged plastic cards?
When counting bank and ID cards, not all technologies available count a stack of cards the same way. Pure optical counting has proved useful in most cases when the cards have a white or light colored edge. But when the cards are partially transparent or made of dark-colored plastic, these optical systems stop being accurate, giving their users too many headaches.
Optical counting machines, like those offered by most card-counting machine manufacturers, rely on the natural light contrast of a stack of plastic cards. They “see” a stack of cards by detecting the bright edge of a card and the shadow produced between each card. Every pair of bright and dark features allows the equipment to count. This works well with brighter, opaque materials, but dark or translucent cards do not reflect light as needed. The result? Reduced contrast, inconsistent shadow definition, and a higher chance of miscounts.
Counting feeder machines take a different—and often superior—approach to accurately count translucent and black cards. Instead of relying on light contrast, they physically separate and advance each card one at a time using controlled feeding technology, such as that featured in B.Matic’s high-speed feeders. Every card is counted as it moves through the feeder, regardless of color, finish, or opacity. Matte black, glossy black, transparent, or layered security pigments don’t change the counting and batching accuracy of our feeding-counting machines.
For bank card and ID card manufacturers, fulfillment services, and service bureaus handling modern bank cards and IDs—where black, translucent, and dark designs are increasingly common—feeder counting machines offer clear advantages: consistent counting accuracy, higher reliability, and less sensitivity to card physical features. If necessary, our feeders can also read barcodes, QR codes, or OCR text, and even print these elements onto each card. Beyond this, you can count, batch, and even inspect each card’s quality at the same time. None of these tasks can be performed by a traditional card counting machine.
In short, when color or transparent cards stop optical systems from counting properly, our counting feeders keep counting without missing a beat.
