Quality of New CAP Membership Card

JC004 · August 29, 2011, 02:19:56 PM

So I received the newer card. What is up with this? The plastic is about as thin as you can get. My library cards (both) are heavier duty plastic. Same with my Starbucks card (which was free...).

As it came in the mail, it is already creased and I'm trying to straighten/flatten it/bend it back into place.

I'm really happy that they fixed the quality of the patch image on it, but the quality of the card itself isn't good anymore. I'm also very happy that the front is now printed to the edge instead of that bad cut-off of the gray.

A friend said he wrote to national a couple months ago about these when he received his, but didn't get a reply. I wonder if anyone has asked them for a more durable plastic card and got a response.

It also has a 3-digit number next to the bar code. Does anyone know what that is for?

My photo on there is pixelated but it is pretty bad in e-Services due to whatever compression they have going on. I have to submit a new one. Does anyone know if this issue of the serious pixelation has been fixed, in e-Services and/or on the card printing? I don't want my ID card photo to look like this because it looks very unprofessional.

shlebz · August 29, 2011, 06:19:51 PM

are cadets even allowed to have their picture on theirs yet?

and i have yet to even receve my new ID card and i renewed( over the internet) 3 weeks ago....

researchdoc · August 29, 2011, 06:35:31 PM

Actually.. it looks as if it is coronized paper... I won't try it.. but I bet it can be ripped in half easily...

ßτε · August 29, 2011, 06:36:52 PM

Quote from: JC004 on August 29, 2011, 02:19:56 PM
It also has a 3-digit number next to the bar code. Does anyone know what that is for?

Mine has a 4 digit number.

AirDX · August 29, 2011, 07:00:54 PM

Got mine a week ago, then got a second one two days later. NHQ feeling generous, I guess. The new card screams "cheesy". The old photo ID was fairly substantial. The new one is not something I really want to hand to anyone checking IDs. Que sera sera.

elipod · August 29, 2011, 07:37:34 PM

Quote from: shlebz on August 29, 2011, 06:19:51 PM
are cadets even allowed to have their picture on theirs yet?

Actually, yes. But it costs us 4 dollars to have the photo printed on, haha!

a2capt · August 29, 2011, 07:48:25 PM

I still just wish ... we could have a decent looking, professional appearing ID card. Not one that was supplied by the cheapest vendor outsourced to a remote location.

We have a problem of people not knowing who we are, and we present a card that now feels hokey and flimsy.

It doesn't need to look like the Air Force's card. Though that doesn't seem to stop the CGA from having something that at least gives a decent professional appearance. The whole photo submission system they have in place and the software they use. Ugh! Maybe it's part of the CMS. It's as if it's one of these image crunchers for ancient cellular data networks, or like the AOL proxy back in the dialup at 2400 baud era and what AOL would do to photos as to not send so much data to the customer.

..and when the "temporary ID" that you could print off eServices actually LOOKED like an ID card. now it's a poorly formed HTML table with cheesy border on it.

Die SiteViz! Die! even if it's not. Maybe that needs to get added to the KTTT logo.

One thing at a time..

ol'fido · August 29, 2011, 08:27:24 PM

Spent Saturday morning checking people into the wing eval. I noticed quite a few differences in the way the cards looked. It wasn't anything major but there were about three different formats for membership expiration dates.

SarDragon · August 29, 2011, 08:54:31 PM

Mine looks pretty good. It is just as thick as my previous non-picture cards. The text, logo, and picture are all sharp.

JC004 · August 29, 2011, 10:52:07 PM

Quote from: researchdoc on August 29, 2011, 06:35:31 PM
Actually.. it looks as if it is coronized paper... I won't try it.. but I bet it can be ripped in half easily...

I was going to try ripping this one, actually, once the one with Captain comes. It's already freaking creased and I just got it.

Quote from: AirDX on August 29, 2011, 07:00:54 PM
...
The new card screams "cheesy". The old photo ID was fairly substantial. The new one is not something I really want to hand to anyone checking IDs. Que sera sera.

I feel exactly the same way.

OK, here's the thing...I'm not a good designer. I'm a technical person. We should have some people take a stab at designing a really professional-looking card to be printed on real plastic and submit it for approval. Anyone who would be good on such a thing?

I saw an article on redesigned boarding passes for airlines. It was great. I liked them a lot but I wouldn't have been able to design something like that from scratch. Just not my thing. Now if we have someone who COULD...we should.

ol'fido · August 29, 2011, 11:05:48 PM

Just standardize the date format/font and make it a little bigger so it's easier and quicker to check validity when your checking people in for a mission.

elipod · August 30, 2011, 12:15:42 AM

How is this for an ID Card?

Just a few minutes in Photoshop

DakRadz · August 30, 2011, 03:42:15 AM

Quote from: SarDragon on August 29, 2011, 08:54:31 PM
Mine looks pretty good. It is just as thick as my previous non-picture cards. The text, logo, and picture are all sharp.

Not in my case. Thin, like a laminated piece of paper, or a slick business card. Either way. Just as JC004 described, is my card.

JC004 · August 30, 2011, 04:54:00 AM

Quote from: DakRadz on August 30, 2011, 03:42:15 AM
Quote from: SarDragon on August 29, 2011, 08:54:31 PM
Mine looks pretty good. It is just as thick as my previous non-picture cards. The text, logo, and picture are all sharp.

Not in my case. Thin, like a laminated piece of paper, or a slick business card. Either way. Just as JC004 described, is my card.

It looks like he got a counterfeit card. Sometimes counterfeits are so good that they exceed the quality of the real thing...

whatevah · August 31, 2011, 04:29:29 AM

I wonder what would happen... if somebody started a service providing "fake" CAP ID cards to members... on the normal plastic credit cards, with a better layout. lol

Extremepredjudice · August 31, 2011, 04:40:12 AM

Quote from: whatevah on August 31, 2011, 04:29:29 AM
I wonder what would happen... if somebody started a service providing "fake" CAP ID cards to members... on the normal plastic credit cards, with a better layout. lol

What is the point of counterfeit cards?

whatevah · August 31, 2011, 04:41:27 AM

Quote from: Extremepredjudice on August 31, 2011, 04:40:12 AM
What is the point of counterfeit cards?

I prefer "improved" rather than "counterfeit"

Extremepredjudice · August 31, 2011, 04:45:04 AM

Quote from: whatevah on August 31, 2011, 04:41:27 AM
Quote from: Extremepredjudice on August 31, 2011, 04:40:12 AM
What is the point of counterfeit cards?
I prefer "improved" rather than "counterfeit"

Still, is there a purpose?
If it was to just make better cards, you'd need to send yours in, to have the barcode dublicated...

Anyway, I got a new card, and it is stiff as a board... I even forgot it in my bdu pocket and ironed it, still straight.

davidsinn · August 31, 2011, 04:51:14 AM

Quote from: Extremepredjudice on August 31, 2011, 04:45:04 AM
you'd need to send yours in, to have the barcode dublicated...

Why? Barcodes are standard. My shiny new Droid says that the barcode on mine is my ID number.

Extremepredjudice · August 31, 2011, 04:55:43 AM

Quote from: davidsinn on August 31, 2011, 04:51:14 AM
Quote from: Extremepredjudice on August 31, 2011, 04:45:04 AM
you'd need to send yours in, to have the barcode dublicated...

Why? Barcodes are standard. My shiny new Droid says that the barcode on mine is my ID number.

Mm, for some reason I thought they were more unique. My bad.