DURAbadge™ Format: Lamination, Durability, and Two-Year Limited Warranty
How DURAbadge™ construction protects printed ID badges and how its two-year limited durability warranty is evaluated
DURAbadge™ is an eXpress badging® We Print production format for organizations that need greater physical and image durability than a non-laminated Standard-format badge provides. It combines required 60% PVC/40% PET composite card stock with an approved 1-mil overlaminate on each side designated for lamination.
DURAbadge™ is produced and designated only by the eXpress badging® Production Department. Purchasing composite stock or using a laminator onsite does not automatically make a customer-produced card a DURAbadge™ or provide DURAbadge™ warranty coverage.
IndexWarranty statement: Two-year limited durability warranty beginning on the original ship date.
- What Makes a Badge a DURAbadge™
- Why Composite Stock and Lamination Serve Different
- Standard Format Compared with DURAbadge™
- One-Sided and Two-Sided Lamination
- What the DURAbadge™ Warranty Covers
- What the DURAbadge™ Warranty Does Not Cover
- How Warranty Claims Are Evaluated
- How to Submit a Possible Warranty Claim
- Badges Containing RFID or Other Technology
- Relationship to the Reprint Guarantee
- Customer-Laminated and You Print Cards
- Final Review Checklist
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes a Badge a DURAbadge™
A badge qualifies as a DURAbadge™ only when it is produced and designated by the eXpress badging® Production Department as part of an approved We Print project.
Every DURAbadge™ requires:
- 60% PVC/40% PET composite card stock. PET is the polyester component of the composite construction.
- An approved 1-mil overlaminate on each side identified for lamination in the approved project specifications.
- Production by eXpress badging®. DURAbadge™ is not a designation automatically created by using similar materials or equipment onsite.
- Documented production specifications. The card stock, laminated sides, slot requirements, embedded technology, and other applicable requirements must be correctly recorded and approved.
A badge printed on 100% PVC stock is not a DURAbadge™. A composite badge without an approved laminated side is also not a DURAbadge™.
Why Composite Stock and Lamination Serve Different Purposes
The two parts of DURAbadge™ construction address different durability concerns:
- Composite construction protects the physical card. The 60% PVC/40% PET construction reduces the risk of cracking and breakage compared with standard 100% PVC stock.
- Lamination protects the printed image and surface. The approved 1-mil overlaminate helps protect each laminated side from fading, scratching, abrasion, surface wear, and repeated contact with badge readers.
These protections should not be treated as interchangeable. Composite stock does not provide the same printed-surface protection as laminate, and laminate does not change the requirement to use 60% PVC/40% PET composite stock for DURAbadge™ production.
Standard Format Compared with DURAbadge™
| Feature | Standard format | DURAbadge™ format |
|---|---|---|
| Production program | eXpress badging® We Print | eXpress badging® We Print and Production-designated |
| Card construction | Commonly 100% PVC or another approved project stock | Required 60% PVC/40% PET composite stock |
| Overlaminate | Not included in the non-laminated Standard format | Approved 1-mil overlaminate on each designated laminated side |
| Physical durability | Subject to normal aging, brittleness, cracking, and breakage | Composite construction reduces cracking and breakage risk |
| Printed-surface protection | No laminate protection | Applies to each laminated side |
| Durability warranty | Not included | Two-year limited durability warranty beginning on the original ship date |
Depending on handling, storage, attachment method, reader use, sunlight, and operating environment, a non-laminated Standard-format badge may fade, develop surface wear, become brittle, crack near the slot, break elsewhere, or experience barcode deterioration. These conditions are not covered by the DURAbadge™ warranty when the badge was produced in the Standard format.
A protective badge holder may reduce surface contact, but it does not convert a Standard-format badge into a DURAbadge™ or provide the same protection as an approved overlaminate.
One-Sided and Two-Sided Lamination
A DURAbadge™ may be produced with one or both sides laminated, in accordance with the approved project specifications.
Warranty protection for fading, scratching, abrasion, and printed-surface wear applies only to each specifically laminated side. A non-laminated side does not receive DURAbadge™ image or surface-wear coverage, even when the opposite side is laminated.
When both sides contain printed information that requires protection, specify and approve lamination on both sides. A 1-mil overlaminate is then applied to each laminated side.
The composite card construction remains the basis for the badge’s physical-card durability. Lamination coverage remains side-specific for the image and printed surface.
What the DURAbadge™ Warranty Covers
Subject to review and approval by the eXpress badging® Production Department, the limited warranty covers the following conditions when they occur during regular badge use within 24 months of the original ship date:
- Cracking of the badge
- Breaking around the slot-punch area
- Complete badge breakage
- Excessive surface wear affecting an image on a laminated side
- Excessive scratching or abrasion affecting an image on a laminated side
- Image fading on a laminated side
The warranty applies only to each affected badge. A reported issue with one badge does not automatically establish coverage for every badge in the same order or production batch. Each affected badge must be documented and evaluated.
What the DURAbadge™ Warranty Does Not Cover
The DURAbadge™ limited durability warranty does not cover:
- Non-laminated badges produced in the Standard format
- Normal aging, fading, cracking, or breaking of Standard-format badges
- Wear or deterioration of a printed barcode on a Standard-format badge
- Fading, scratching, abrasion, or printed-surface wear on a non-laminated side
- Incorrect customer-provided or customer-approved data, photographs, identification numbers, designs, or badge assignments
- An issue visible in an approved proof or P3—Production Print Preview
- Reader incompatibility involving an undisclosed or untested system
- Incorrect RFID, barcode, magnetic-stripe, facility-code, site-code, or credential information supplied or approved by the customer
- Normal printing, cardstock, color, graphic placement, or lamination tolerances documented in the approved project requirements or ID Badge Design Guide
- Damage that cannot reasonably be attributed to regular badge use
- Changes made after delivery that affect the badge construction, slot location, laminate, printing, or embedded technology
- Customer-produced or customer-laminated cards that were not produced and designated as DURAbadge™ by the eXpress badging® Production Department
A reported condition may require physical inspection before Production can determine whether it qualifies for replacement.
At its discretion, eXpress badging® may choose to provide an accommodation for a condition outside the warranty. A discretionary accommodation does not expand the DURAbadge™ warranty or establish coverage for future claims.
How Warranty Claims Are Evaluated
Production evaluates the reported condition, the original production specifications, the ship date, the affected side, and the badge’s physical construction.
The review may distinguish among:
- A covered durability failure during regular use
- Surface or image damage on a laminated side
- Surface or image damage on a non-laminated side
- A production error was present when the badge was delivered
- Incorrect customer-provided or customer-approved information
- Reader or system incompatibility
- Normal production tolerances
- Damage or modification occurring after delivery
After reviewing the available information, Production may approve the claim, request additional documentation, require the badge to be returned for evaluation, authorize secure destruction, or determine that the condition is not covered.
How to Submit a Possible Warranty Claim
Before submitting a possible claim:
- Confirm that the badge was produced and designated as a DURAbadge™ by eXpress badging®.
- Confirm that the badge is within 24 months of its original ship date.
- Identify the original order, invoice, shipment, or customer account when available.
- Take a clear photograph of the entire front and back of the badge.
- Take close-up photographs showing the fading, wear, scratching, abrasion, crack, slot-punch damage, or breakage.
- Identify the affected badge or cardholder without transmitting unnecessary sensitive information, if possible.
- Describe the problem, when it was discovered, and how the badge was normally used.
- Identify the number of badges experiencing the same condition.
- Securely submit the information to the eXpress badging® Production Department through the approved contact method.
Do not destroy or discard the affected badge until Production provides written instructions. When a return is required, eXpress badging® will provide the applicable return shipping instructions.
Contact eXpress badging® for help submitting or classifying a possible claim.
Badges Containing RFID or Other Technology
A badge that cracks, breaks, or experiences slot-punch damage may also stop functioning in an RFID, access-control, time-and-attendance, tracking, point-of-sale, barcode, magnetic-stripe, or other reader system.
Do not destroy a technology-enabled badge that has stopped working. Production may request the badge for evaluation, provide return instructions, request system or transaction information, require testing in the approved reader systems, or authorize secure destruction after the evaluation is complete.
A technology failure is not automatically a DURAbadge™ durability claim. The reported condition must be evaluated to determine whether it resulted from physical badge failure, production, credential data, reader compatibility, system configuration, or another cause.
Technology concerns remain subject to the applicable Card Technology Test Form and ID Badge Technology Discovery, Testing, and Approval requirements.
Relationship to the Reprint Guarantee
The DURAbadge™ limited durability warranty and the eXpress badging® Reprint Guarantee address different types of problems.
| Review path | Primary purpose |
| DURAbadge™ limited durability warranty | Reviews covered physical-card or laminated-surface failures that develop during regular use within 24 months of the original ship date |
| eXpress badging® Reprint Guarantee | Reviews an initial production error when the delivered badge does not conform to the approved proof, submitted files, documented production specifications, or applicable approved technology testing |
A badge initially printed on the wrong stock, laminated incorrectly, slotted incorrectly, or produced with technology that does not function in the approved and tested readers may be reviewed under the eXpress badging® Reprint Guarantee instead of the DURAbadge™ warranty.
Customer-provided or customer-approved errors are not converted into production errors or durability claims by the passage of time.
Customer-Laminated and You Print Cards
Customers who purchase and use a laminator on-site can experience the physical benefits of their selected card stock, printing method, and laminate. Those customer-produced cards do never receive DURAbadge™ status or warranty coverage.
DURAbadge™ is limited to badges produced and designated by the eXpress badging® Production Department under an approved We Print order. This program boundary allows Production to verify and document the complete card construction, laminate, printing, slotting, embedded technology, and original ship date used to evaluate a future claim.
For onsite printing and lamination requirements, review PVC Badge Printer Technical Design Parameters Overview and confirm the complete configuration with eXpress badging®.
Final Review Checklist
Before approving a DURAbadge™ production configuration, confirm:
- The order identifies the badge format as DURAbadge™.
- The cardstock is specified as 60% PVC/40% PET composite.
- Every side requiring image and surface protection is identified for approved 1-mil overlamination.
- Front-only or two-sided lamination is documented correctly.
- Slot-punch, attachment, and embedded-technology requirements are documented and approved.
- Required physical samples and technology testing have been completed.
- The formal proof identifies the correct card stock, lamination, and production specifications.
- An authorized customer representative has approved the final production specifications.
- The organization understands that image and surface-wear coverage applies only to laminated sides.
- The organization understands that the two-year limited durability warranty begins on the original ship date.
If any construction or lamination requirement is uncertain, do not approve the project. Request confirmation from an eXpress badging® ID Specialist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 60% PVC/40% PET composite card stock optional for DURAbadge™?
No. It is a required part of the DURAbadge™ construction. PET is the polyester component of the composite stock.
Must both sides of a DURAbadge™ be laminated?
Not necessarily. The approved project specifications may identify one or both sides for lamination. Fading, scratching, abrasion, and printed-surface-wear coverage applies only to each laminated side. Specify two-sided lamination when both printed sides require that protection.
Does a customer-produced laminated card qualify as a DURAbadge™?
No. DURAbadge™ is an eXpress badging® We Print production format issued by the eXpress badging® Production Department. Using composite stock and a laminator onsite does not automatically create DURAbadge™ status or warranty coverage.
Does the warranty cover an entire production batch when one badge fails?
No. The warranty applies to each affected badge. Every reported badge must be documented and evaluated.
Does the warranty cover image fading on a non-laminated side?
No. Image fading, scratching, abrasion, and surface-wear coverage applies only to a specifically laminated side.
Is every RFID or reader failure a DURAbadge™ warranty claim?
No. Technology failures must be evaluated to distinguish physical damage from credential-data, reader-compatibility, system-configuration, testing, or production issues. Preserve the affected badge until Production provides instructions.
When does the warranty period begin?
The two-year limited durability warranty begins on the original ship date.
Related Resources