Substrate Options —‘Paper or Plastic?’

The biggest difference between the paper world and the plastic world, however, is the price of the materials weighed against the potential for error. "Twelve-point paper is about 25 cents a sheet; 12-point PVC plastic is probably double that, so your material costs for makeready go up 10 percent, and your mistakes become more costly," Tenyer says. "A sheet of plastic for printing a credit card, once you laminate all four pieces together, costs more than $1 per sheet. Some polycarbonates are $3 to $4 a sheet. Most lenticulars are more than $1.50 per sheet."