Zebra 104523-210 Blank White PVC Card Stock, 10 mil, Box of 500
Overview
The Zebra 104523-210 is a factory-packaged box of 500 blank white PVC cards, 10 mil thick, designed as direct-feed media for Zebra card printers used in enterprise access control, visitor management, and employee credentialing programs. If your organization runs Zebra card printing hardware and needs a reliable, consistent card stock that won't jam feeders or produce defects at volume, this is the standard-grade consumable to stock. The 104523-210 (often searched as 104523 210) ships from US-origin manufacturing, making it a straightforward TAA-country-of-origin sourcing decision for federal and state government programs that require domestic supply chains.
Card media quality is one of those specs that looks unimportant until a batch of off-brand cards jams a printer mid-run during a badge day for 200 new employees. Zebra's own card stock is dimensioned and toleranced to work with Zebra printer feed mechanisms — flatness, thickness uniformity, and surface coating are matched to the printhead and lamination rollers in Zebra ZXP, ZC, and ZC300-series desktop card printers. Using mismatched third-party cards voids many Zebra printer warranties and introduces print registration errors that compound across high-volume runs.
Key Features
- 10 mil PVC construction: Standard ID card thickness (10 mil = 0.254mm) matches ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 format dimensions — the same form factor used in virtually all proximity card holders, lanyards, and badge reels. Thinner card stock can flex and misread in contact-chip readers; 10 mil holds its shape through repeated handling and swipe cycles.
- Blank white surface: Clean white base coat accepts full-color dye-sublimation printing on both monochrome and YMCKO ribbon configurations without pre-treatment. The surface is ready for direct-to-card or retransfer printing, supporting photo IDs, barcodes, and text at the full color gamut your printer's ribbon supports.
- 500 cards per box: At 500 units per box, a single order covers a mid-size badge day or serves as a standard replenishment unit for ongoing credentialing programs. For larger deployments, ordering in case quantities reduces per-card cost and minimizes reorder frequency — relevant for environments with continuous issuance (hospitals, universities, corporate campuses).
- PVC material: PVC card stock is the default choice for standard access badges, employee IDs, and visitor cards where cards will be handled daily but not subjected to extreme temperatures or outdoor UV exposure. PVC offers good printhead compatibility and surface adhesion for lamination overlaminates if your workflow includes a lamination pass for added durability.
- US country of origin: Manufactured in the US, which satisfies TAA compliance requirements for government procurement contracts that restrict country-of-origin sourcing. Verify your specific contract requirements, but domestic-origin card stock covers the most common federal and state agency purchasing rules.
- Zebra Cards product family: Part of Zebra's Cards media line, which means these cards are formulated and tested specifically for Zebra card printer hardware. This matters for print quality consistency across long runs — off-spec card surface roughness or static buildup causes ribbon wrinkle and color banding that wastes ribbon and cards simultaneously.
- Package dimensions (4.10 × 16.90 × 2.40 in, 2.05 lb): The compact, lightweight box stores easily in a supply cabinet or printer station drawer. At just over two pounds, a box is easy to handle single-handed when loading printer hoppers — no awkward bulk handling during issuance events.
Integration & Compatibility
These cards are part of Zebra's Cards media portfolio and are matched for use with Zebra card printers across the ZXP Series, ZC Series, and ZC300 desktop printer lines. Confirm your specific printer model's media compatibility guide before ordering — some Zebra printers with retransfer print engines (ZXP Series 8, for example) may have specific card thickness or surface requirements that differ from direct-to-card models. For Zebra card printing programs requiring pre-encoded magnetic stripe, smart chip, or proximity card functionality, these blank PVC cards are the base substrate — encoding and chip embedding are separate product lines. If your credentialing workflow includes lamination, verify that your overlaminate is rated for PVC card stock at your printer's operating temperature. Browse the full range of card printers and printer media to pair the right ribbon and overlaminate with this card stock. Organizations running mixed-brand printer fleets should cross-reference Zebra's media compatibility documentation, as card surface tolerances vary enough between manufacturers to affect print quality on non-Zebra hardware. For access control deployments, pair this card stock with a compatible access control card printer and the appropriate proximity or smart card inlay substrate if your readers require embedded technology — blank PVC without an embedded inlay will not function as a proximity credential.
What's in the Box
- 500x Zebra blank white PVC cards, 10 mil thickness
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What card printers is the Zebra 104523-210 compatible with?
A: The 104523-210 is part of Zebra's Cards media line and is matched for Zebra card printers. Common compatible families include the ZXP Series and ZC Series direct-to-card desktop printers. Always verify against your specific printer model's media guide, as retransfer-engine models may have different card surface requirements.
Q: Are these cards TAA compliant?
A: Yes — the 104523-210 is manufactured in the United States, which satisfies TAA (Trade Agreements Act) country-of-origin requirements for most US federal and state government procurement programs. Confirm your specific contract terms, but US-origin card stock is the standard for TAA-compliant credentialing supply chains.
Q: Do these cards come with a magnetic stripe or proximity chip?
A: No. The 104523-210 is blank white PVC card stock with no embedded technology. There is no magnetic stripe, proximity inlay, or smart chip. These are base-substrate cards for print-only ID badges, visitor passes, and similar credentials that don't require electronic read capability.
Q: How many cards are included in one box of 104523-210?
A: Each box contains 500 blank white PVC cards at 10 mil thickness.
Q: What is the card thickness and does it meet ISO ID-1 dimensions?
A: The cards are 10 mil (0.254mm) thick. This is the standard ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 card thickness used for most employee badges, ID cards, and access credentials — compatible with standard card holders, lanyards, and badge reels.
Q: Can these cards be used with lamination overlaminates?
A: PVC card stock is generally compatible with standard lamination overlaminates used on Zebra direct-to-card printers. Verify that your specific overlaminate product is rated for PVC substrate at your printer's lamination temperature before running a full production batch.
The 104523-210 is the card stock I spec for any Zebra-based credentialing program that doesn't need embedded technology — blank white PVC at 10 mil is the workhorse of enterprise badge programs, and using Zebra's own media matters more than people think. The 500-cards-per-box format is the right replenishment unit for most mid-size deployments: enough to cover a meaningful issuance run without tying up storage space on bulk pallets.
Technical Highlights:
- 10 mil PVC thickness: Matches ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 standard — fits every standard card holder, retractable reel, and proximity reader slot without modification. Thinner stock warps in high-humidity environments and causes misfeeds; 10 mil is the floor for production-grade use.
- US country of origin: Federal buyers on TAA-restricted contracts can source these without a waiver. Most commercial-grade card stock from overseas suppliers doesn't clear TAA scrutiny, so this is a meaningful spec for government and defense credentialing programs.
- Blank white surface, no embedded inlay: 500 cards at a clean blank slate — no wasted units from pre-encoded credentials that don't match your access control database. Print what you need, when you need it, with your Zebra ribbon configuration.
Deployment Considerations:
- Store boxes flat in a climate-controlled environment — PVC card stock can develop a bow if stored on edge or in high-humidity conditions, which causes misfeeds in hopper-fed card printers. The 4.10 × 16.90 × 2.40 in package stacks cleanly on a standard shelf.
- These are print-only substrates — if your access control system requires proximity, smart card, or magnetic stripe credentials, you need a different card SKU with the appropriate inlay. Ordering the wrong substrate and printing a full batch before testing at the reader is the most common credentialing program mistake I see.
For a corporate campus or hospital running Zebra ZC or ZXP Series printers for daily employee and visitor badge issuance, the 104523-210 is the correct standard-stock replenishment order — matched media, domestic sourcing, and a per-box quantity that fits a normal issuance cadence without overbuying.
