As described above, the front or rear surfaces of the transaction card may be printed or laser-etched to provide indicia, such as graphics, images, text, or any other indicia. [0050]FIG. 2D illustrates a fourth embodiment of the present invention, whereby the transaction card 1, illustrated in a cross-sectional view in FIG. 2D, comprises a first layer 50 of a substrate, such as a thermoplastic mat