Pre-printed paper or card

Pre-printed tickets have the necessary fare information already printed on them, and can be issued without any further machine processing.

Tickets intended for a single trip (perhaps including a transfer) are usually on flimsy paper or on card. Tickets intended for repeated use are usually made of card, in part for robustness, in part for presentation and security features.

Pre-printed tickets always have some form of serial number, both for inventory control and for fraud prevention. Most pre-printed tickets have some security features embedded in the paper or card e.g. watermarks and fiber that glow when subject to UV light. This helps to detect fraudulent production or forgery.

There is a wide range of applications of pre-printed tickets. They are typically used in four main situations:

For single-trip tickets issued in the vehicle or at station entry points, when there are no ticket-issuing machines. In flat fare systems, the driver or conductor is provided with a block of tickets that are issued to customers on payment of the fare. In systems with multiple fares, a range of tickets is used corresponding to different values. At a minimum, the price of the tickets will be displayed. In some cases, they may be color-coded for ease of use, avoidance of error and prevention of fraud.
Single-trip tickets available for pre-purchase at dedicated kiosks and other distribution points, where they can be purchased individually or in bulk. The ticket may be required to be validated or obliterated by insertion in a hand-operated or automatic hole-punch device.
For day-passes and promotional tickets, intended for distribution through channels beyond the transport agencies, e.g. newsagents and tobacco kiosks, tourist agencies. These tickets often have information required both for boarding and inspection, and for promotional purposes (e.g. advertising, tourist information, and event or promotion information). The ticket may require to be stamped by the issuer / vendor at time of sale, or by the driver / conductor at point of use.
Time-based passes (e.g. weekly, monthly) and personalized passes (e.g. employee passes, students, pensioners, and disabled) which are shown to the driver or conductor when wishing to travel (“flash passes”). Time-based passes usually display information about the period of validity and any zone or modal restrictions. They may be color-coded (e.g. by month) for ease of sale and to avoid fraudulent use. Personalized passes usually include information about the pass holder, which may be on the pass itself or on a related identification card.

Pre-printed tickets require structured administrative support and inventory management.

Benefits of pre-printed tickets are:

Low technology approach which can work in the most basic situations.
No ticket issuing machines or card reading machines are required.
Low cost of production.
Production requirements are simple.
They can be issued by unskilled workers, with only basic literacy and numeracy required.
Where the effort is made, a significant level of security can be attained by using security features in the ticket design, graphics and the paper / card stock.

Cautions with regard to pre-printed tickets are:

Tickets are value stock. They are ready targets for theft, pilferage and internal frauds. This increases the security requirements at all levels.
There is a high incentive for fraudulent reproduction, including unauthorized additional production by the printers.
There is a heavy administrative burden in distribution, daily stock issue, daily sales and returns information gathering, and inventory control.
While “flash passes” solve a need, they are often not properly inspected, and can become a significant source of evasion.