waterproofing paper tokens

[mjwalsh]

We have the Vantage Mag paper tokens. We were just wondering if anybody has tried to make the paper tokens more water proof or resistant? We know we have extended the life of some of our paper signs by giving a light spray coat of clear acrylic or polyurethane. We hate to be experimenting too much ... so if anybody has tried this ... we would appreciate them sharing the results & if the spray coat still allowed the paper tokens to work reliably in the Coinco Vantage validators.

Also, if anybody has been successful putting their own advertisement & tracking numbers on them with the more water & fade resistant lettering etc such as from a laser printer? The width of the tokens is less than most laser printers allow with the range of the printer's adjustable guides. With tracking numbers, we would have a better handle on where large number of tokens that a contractor or another business still could potentially have on hand & still use as an already paid for way.

mike walsh king koin

 

[mjwalsh]

Since we only just sold our first large batch of the Coinco's version of the token notes to a contractor for them to use for their fleet of vehicles ... we are in the dark as to what the average number of re-uses of these dollar bill size coupons have. I was hoping that someone who actually has experience with paper tokens could share.

We have sprayed some of ours for future sales with MinWax PolyAcrylic staying away from the coded area. The coupons still work & it seems like it will do some good extending their life. At 14 cents a piece ... it would be nice to keep the coupons firm for as long as possible. Our numbered tracking ability makes them almost like in house laundromat magnetic cards that the customer registered with the owner. We have ours at $3 & $7 ... if we sell enough non discounted $7 ones it seems like for those specific ones especially the coupon will generate a higher per vehicle self service revenue stream.

mike

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I have not used the paper tokens.
However, back in the pre-gps days when men were men, I used a waterproofing sealer on my topographic maps, I think this was the stuff: http://www.campmor.com/map-seal-waterproofing-maps.shtml. Might be a better alternative than acrylic.
It works pretty good, and makes you a hero when you're in a swamp in Maine and its getting dark and raining and your buddy's map is soggy and unreadable.

 

[Waxman]

I use Hamilton Paper Tokenotes. Never thought of waterproofing them. They wear out and I get new ones to replace the worn ones.

Mine are a marketing tool and I use them at a weekly discount day.

I think waterproofing for me is impractical and I wonder if it would affect the ACW's ability to read the note properly.

Just a few thoughts I had on this.

 

[Ric]

I print our name, address on the front and what the coupon can be redeemed for on the back. I use an ink jet printer. Back must be printed in red ink. I don't "waterproof" them. I get many re-uses out of them. Most people treat them like money and take good care of them. If the inkjet ink gets wet it runs. But for the few that I have to trash it's not worth messing with a waterproof coating.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I do 2 things to some of my coupons.
1, Bought custom stampers with Changeable date. You can then track them by date and / or
2. Boought a sequential number stamp at the office suppply store. It's resettable and each time you stamp it advances 1 number.

 

[Reds]

I use Mars coupons in my IBA'a and SS. The IBA coupons last longer, I believe due to the customer not getting out of the car and getting their hands wet, or folding them into their pocket. The natural gas companies that are in our area use them in the SS ($5 per coupon). They tend to get more wrinkled and wet due to the customers digging for more and then inserting them into the bill acceptor after they are halfway done washing. I made an excel sheet that prints my wash name and a number on each coupon. I give my customers a tracking sheet to use with them. No coating and no waterproofing. The IBA coupons hold up for years with lots of reuse. The SS coupons, so far, have held up for a year of repeated use. If one of my coupons gets mutilated, I just print a replacement with the same number on it. I don't sell the coupons one at a time. I sell them in bulk to the state and various gas companies.

 

[mjwalsh]

It seems like Laser is better than a stamp or an inkjet for avoiding smeared ink when damp. Staples had a Brother Laser 2270DW on sale for $99 with auto duplexing. So we bought it. The printer's manual insert allowed for a guide that we made to help the feeding process of 800 of the token notes. We prefer a simple database approach better than the spreadsheet approach for tracking the unused or destroyed ones to a business or whoever. I agree with making most of their sales bulk ... for businesses who prefer them.

Ric,

We did print black on the back of the coupon some but not where Coinco has their code. Those tested out OK in the Coinco Validator without a problem.

The PolyAcrylic spray or the Polymer Paul suggested is pretty cheap & easy so we will be testing it both ways with & without protection.

I do see a few of you with high value metal tokens possibly a bit smug though about durability & long term cost ... with customer convenience being ... a toss up.

Thanks for the responses.

Mike Walsh King Koin YouTube Dollar Coin Advocate