Chemicals Impact: Chemicals such as plasticizers, cosmetics, skin oils, ect. Plasticizers used to construct vinyl pouches found in most wallets can penetrate a card surface and extract the dyes used to print photos and other images.
Abrasions: Repeated swipes through a card reader can remove printed images from a plastic card.
Humidity & Moisture: Humidity, perspiration and other moisture can attack or weaken adhesion of poor quality protective layers, causing blistering or delamination.
Ultraviolet Exposure: Prolonged exposure to sunlight and other UV sources can fade printed images on plastic cards or turn the card stock yellow. It can also degrade protective layers.