Lucas can encode any/all tracks of either Hi-Co or Lo-Co magnetic stripe on nearly any shape or size card product.
A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card. The magnetic stripe, sometimes called a magstripe, is read by physical contact and swiping past a reading head.


“Encoding” is the technical process of magnetizing the strip with data so the card is “live” with the data string needed by its transaction systems.


“Hi-Co” and “Lo-Co” are the quick way to refer to two types of magnetic tape media, “High Coercivity” and “Low Coercivity”.
Lucas Color Card offers magstripes come in these two main varieties: high-coercivity (HiCo) at 4000 Oe and low-coercivity (LoCo) at 300 Oe but it is not infrequent to have intermediate values at 2750 Oe. High-coercivity magstripes are harder to erase, and therefore are appropriate for cards that are frequently used or that need to have a long life. Low-coercivity magstripes require a lower amount of magnetic energy to record, and hence the card writers are much cheaper than machines which are capable of recording high-coercivity magstripes. A card reader can read either type of magstripe, and a high-coercivity card writer may write both high and low-coercivity cards (most have two settings, but writing a LoCo card in HiCo may sometimes work), while a low-coercivity card writer may write only low-coercivity cards.


Low coercivity magnetic stripes tend to be a light brown color, and high coercivity stripes are nearly black; exceptions include a silver, red or gold formulated stripes on premium cards. High coercivity stripes are resistant to damage from most magnets likely to be owned by consumers. Low coercivity stripes are easily damaged by even a brief contact with a magnetic purse strap or fastener. Because of this, virtually all bank cards today are encoded on high coercivity stripes despite a slightly higher per-unit cost.
As a rule, if the card needs to last longer than one or two uses and the life of card use is more than a few months, “Hi-Co” is the way to go.

Contact Lucas with your transaction card questions! 1-877-84-LUCAS