How can I get a color copy of my vaccine card printed on a wallet card

August 12, 2021 8:19 AM

I'd like to get a color copy of my vaccine card printed on a hard plastic wallet card like a school ID. Bars, restaurants and theaters are starting to require them, and I'd like to not have to hand people my actual card or my phone.

Ideally, I'd be able to upload both sides of the card and get one (or two) plastic cards in the mail.

I know this will be unofficial, but places are accepting photos, so I'ld like to give it a try.

posted by mercredi to Technology (7 answers total)

Best answer: I've seen vaxcard promoted, which seems like exactly what you're looking for, but I haven't tried it myself yet
posted by CrystalDave at 8:42 AM on August 12, 2021 [4 favorites]

Scan and print a copy double-sided on an inkjet printer, then put it in a plastic card sleeve.

Plastic cards tend to be a minimum-order thing (50 usually). Also, a printed plastic card is so obviously not the original card that it's more likely to be turned down somewhere. Thirdly, the printer may refuse to print it as it's technically forgery (depending on laws where you are).
posted by pipeski at 8:43 AM on August 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

At some point on Etsy I saw that someone was trying to print cards with vax info on them onto hard cards. I can't find them now, though. And they didn't look like a shrunk down version of your vax card, it was just your vax info laser cut onto a colored card. Frankly, if I were someone checking at the door and I saw one of those cards, there's no way to know it's an official card anyway and I think someone might balk at accepting it.

Etsy does have a few vendors (example) who will print things on a hard wallet sized card, though I don't know if they'll go full vax card about it.

Zazzle seems to offer printing ID badges, but I'm not sure if this is an in-bulk thing or not.

Honestly, I wouldn't try this idea because I bet it would be rejected for looking like a fake card.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:45 AM on August 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

If you don't have a plastic sleeve, you can take it to a place like Kinko's or Staples and have it color-copied and them laminated.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:46 AM on August 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks all - it looks like vaxcard is exactly what I'm looking for. I know it's less than official, but it's close enough for bars and restaurants. (I also have the photo on my phone that most will accept, but I wanted to have something I could hand over w/my ID.)
posted by mercredi at 9:00 AM on August 12, 2021

The Atlantic has a whole article about problems with the size of official vaccine cards.
posted by TDIpod at 10:22 AM on August 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

That CDC card is too big. I reduced mine on our copier and printed it. Then ran it through the laminator. I keep the original with my important documents.
posted by kathrynm at 4:54 PM on August 12, 2021