Frequently Asked Questions

Designing the Gift Cards

Q1: Who designs the gift cards?
A1: You do. CMJ Designs will put your images on the cards and you decide the font, colors, and the layout of the design.

Format and Type of Image

Q1: What format do the images to use on the gift card have to be in?
A1: They should be in a .jpg or a .bmp file format. You can upload your image to www.medicalspasoftware.com/sendfile. After uploading your image, please call us to make sure that we have received the it.

Q2: Can I send my logo or background image in a .pdf/.tif/.doc/.eps/... file?
A2: No, gift card images can only be used if they are in .jpg or .bmp file formats. We cannot change the format of your image, so please only send us a .jpg or .bmp image file.

Q3: What if I don't have an image to use? Can I purchase one from somewhere?
A3: We can print your gift cards with no image, and only your business’s information; but there are various web sites (unaffiliated with our company) where you can purchase an image for your cards and send it to us. A few web sites we recommend are www.bigstockphoto.com, www.istockphoto.com, and www.stockxpert.com there are also various other image web sites that can be found online where suitable images can be purchased, just make sure to save your receipts and send both your image and a copy of the receipt to your gift card designer.

Gift Card Pricing and Ordering

Q1: How much do gift cards or ID cards cost and why is the pricing structure the way it is?
A1: Please check our pricing page for information on card prices. Our gift cards are a high quality plastic material, similar to a credit card. Other companies may offer lower quality plastic cards that bend or break easily; or even cards that are made out of a flimsy paper material. Also, because our cards are durable, they can be reused several times.

Q2: Can the order be less than 100 cards?
A2: No, all gift card orders must be for at least 100 cards. Though we do have special pricing for larger orders, based on the quantity ordered. See our pricing page for further details.

Q3: Can I purchase the gift cards from a source other than CMJ Designs?
A3: Yes, you can. If you decide to purchase gift cards from a source other than CMJ Designs, Inc. be sure to have a 4 digit number printed on the gift cards. Gift cards purchased from a source other than CMJ Designs, Inc. will not be able to be scanned with a bar code scanner or swiped with a magnetic reader. Gift cards purchased from CMJ Designs Inc. are specially encoded (with a bar code or magnetic stripe) to be read by our software. This information is proprietary and is not given out.

Q4: How do I order gift cards?
A4: You can order your cards online by visiting our Pricing and Ordering page.

Gift Card Colors

Q1: Can I have a bar code on my metallic cards?
A1: No. Metallic (gold and silver) cards and ink are unable to be scanned by barcode scanners. Due to the metallic sheen of gold and silver gift cards and ink the infrared lights used in bar code scanners reflect the scanner instead of absorbing the light. The bar code reader will interpret that there is actually no bar code present.

In order for bar code readers to work, there must be a solid matte (non-shiny) background with black bars. It cannot be done on metallic cards. To use a metallic card or a matte card with metallic ink for your business you would need to utilize a magnetic stripe on the back of the card, or simply key in the four digit gift card ID found on all gift cards.

Q2: Are there any limitations for color, tones, etc.?
A2: If you are sending a full color design please note that our gift card printer cannot print a solid Black, Aqua Blue, Brown, Red or Tan/Beige background. We do carry solid colored cards to supplement this inconvenience (see Q3 for details) No Gradients (fading from one color to another) and no metallic (gold or silver) cards/inks with bar codes because the bar code scanner cannot read the bar code properly.

Q3: What color cards are available?
A3: We currently are able to print on solid white, light blue, black, tan, silver (metallic), and gold (metallic) cards. Some helpful notes are as follows:

Sold white cards can print detailed images, including your business logo or a background photo.
Light blue, black, and tan cards can be printed with solid black, white, silver or gold text and/or design. All solid cards and inks can be used with a bar code scanner or magnetic stripe reader. Metallic ink cannot be scanned by a barcode scanner.
Silver and gold cards can be printed with solid black, white, silver or gold text and/or design. Metallic cards cannot be used with a bar code scanner.

Q4: Is there a limit to how many colors I can have on my card?
A4: Usually, several colors can print nicely on the gift card, but it does depend on the image you are using and if you selected to use a colored gift card. Read the notes in A2 and A3 above for more details on ink color limitations for different colored cards.