CPI Card Group Receives Multiple Elan Awards

LITTLETON, Colo., May 2 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

CPI Card Group, a world leader in card manufacturing and related solutions,
is pleased to have received two Elan awards and five finalist positions at the
2009 ICMA Annual EXPO. The awards recognize the latest advancements and
achievements in card design throughout the industry.

The only award that recognizes card design innovation as well as technical
achievement in the industry, the ICMA Elan Awards honor card manufacturers and
vendors for their excellent card design and innovative products. Each entry was
selected by a panel of judges in a blind competition. Entries were judged
solely on the card’s features and were not identified by company. Delegates
attending the Expo selected the People’s Choice Award winners.

CPI’s awards and finalist cards, for five different clients, were in the
following categories:

Best Gift & Promotional Card, Winner: Toys Card, manufactured for Walgreens

People’s Choice, Winner (Tie): First Data Go-Tag Sticker, manufactured for
First Data

Best Identification Card, Finalist: Guanajuato Driver’s License,
manufactured for Latin ID

Unique Innovation, Finalist: VSX Sport Card, manufactured for Limited Brands

Best Secure Financial Card Design, Finalist: Elevate Card, manufactured for
Virgin America and Barclaycard US

Best Other Secure Card Design, Finalist: First Data Go-Tag Sticker,
manufactured for First Data

People’s Choice, Finalist: Toys Card, manufactured for Walgreens

Walgreens category manager Leslie Demourelle says, "We are honored by the
ICMA’s recognition of the Walgreens Toys gift card. We wanted to create an
innovative solution that would further position Walgreens as a destination for
its great selection of toys at affordable prices. CPI Card Group’s design and
production team worked closely with our advertising team to bring the
imaginative and challenging concept to fruition, while keeping a sharp eye on
costs. The result was a ‘funtastic’ card design that met our budget
constraints, yet exceeded our expectations for execution."

Kathy Cook, Brand Manager at Limited Brands, adds, "Limited Brands
leveraged CPI’s expertise and experience to develop a full wood card for
Victoria’s Secret. The brand wanted to determine if there was an option for a
full wood card with no overlay that would sustain typical consumer use and work
at our POS. We worked directly with the CPI team, which was instrumental in
bringing this wood card to market for Victoria’s Secret. CPI worked with
suppliers to find the right type of wood that met the needs of the brand but
would also be able to work on the press. The brand was thrilled by the final
output as it completely aligned with their brand position and differentiated
them in the market place. Limited Brands appreciates and values the work of CPI
to deliver the best and most innovative stored value products. They are viewed
as a key supplier of the Enterprise, and we look forward to our continued
partnership."

"We found it challenging to develop a plastic design that would set the
Virgin America card program apart from the industry," said Pat Santilli,
Marketing Operations, Barclaycard US. "We also wanted to make sure the card
captured the spirit and fun of the Virgin America brand. With the help of CPI,
we were able to identify unique printing techniques to get the effect we
sought. The debossing tactic that CPI developed for the front of the card was a
great way to differentiate Virgin America’s card from others. CPI was able to
provide versioning quickly which allowed Virgin America to make its final
decision on card design."

Dominique Gas, General Manager at Latin ID, says, "We are extremely pleased
that our Guanajuato Driver’s License card was a finalist in the Best
Identification Card category. The Guanajuato Driver’s License secured design is
exclusive. The card includes different levels of security that help fight
against forgery and counterfeiting. This is a very complex card, and CPI did an
outstanding job that the ICMA recognized."

About CPI Card Group
CPI, a global leader in financial and commercial card production and
related services, offers a single source for plastic cards, from foil cards and
holograms to translucent and smart cards, and personalization and fulfillment
services. CPI offers the largest production capacity in North America. CPI’s
production sites include Denver, Colorado; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Las Vegas,
Nevada; Colchester, England; Liverpool, England; and Toronto, Canada. CPI’s
plants in Colorado, Nevada, Colchester and Liverpool are ISO 9001 certified.
For more information, visit www.cpicardgroup.com.

SOURCE: CPI Card Group

CONTACT: Regina Ramey of CPI,
+1-303-345-2441,
rramey@cpicardgroup.com