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Security and ID Cards
ID card printing technology has progressed to a point where
it is very easy to counterfeit the average plastic card. Desktop card
printers by Fargo and others can print a full color, high quality card in less
than 30 seconds. Counterfeiters are using these machines to create credit
cards, driver’s licenses, ID cards, etc. While these printers do a great
job at printing the average ID card, there are technologies they can’t
reproduce.
Government and private industries are fighting
counterfeiting by adding hard-to-reproduce features to their plastic cards;
including micro printing, holograms, UV and infrared ink, watermarks, and
others. Desktop card printers are not capable of creating any of these features
(they can apply holograms if the image is already manufactured into the overlay
or laminate). Great examples of many of these features are found in your
driver’s license.
Hologram
California, for example, adds a highly visible hologram to
their cards. As you tilt the card the image in the hologram changes.
Desktop card printers can not create a multi-angled hologram from scratch, but
they can apply a hologram that has been created into an overlay or lamination
ribbon that the desktop card printer is applying to the card.
Holograms are difficult and expensive to create, so whether
you have the hologram built into the plastic card or created on a ribbon for the
desktop card printer to transfer onto the card the average counterfeiter will be
unable to recreate it.
UV Ink
If you put the California driver’s license next to a
‘black-light’ an image of the California flag will show in green and orange in
the middle of the card. When the manufacturer created the card they
used special invisible UV ink to create the image of the flag. If you
ever wondered at what the bouncer at your favorite night club was doing when he
puts your driver’s license under a purple looking light he was checking to see
if the flag was there. If it didn’t show he would know that it is a fake.
UV inks come in a variety of colors for a variety of light
‘wave lengths’. I recommend that you avoid using a blue UV ink though.
Many of the current card printers now have an option of a florescent panel on
their ribbon that allows the user to print clear images and text that will
display in blue when placed under a black light. For low security areas
using a blue color may be OK but high security areas will want a color that
counterfeiters can not easily get.
Micro-Printing
They also use micro-printing in several areas on the card.
Micro-printing is very small text printed into the plastic card and generally
looks like thin lines to the naked eye. The text is printed at 2400 dpi
(dots per inch) or higher. You will need a strong magnifying glass to view the
micro-printed text. If you look at the California driver’s license with a
magnifying glass you would see that the lines in the DMV logo are actually very
small words. There are also several very fine lines through the card that
are actually words.
Since desktop card printers can only print at 300 dpi (dots
per inch) they are unable to recreate micro-printing on a card making
micro-printing an excellent security feature.
Watermark
A watermark image can be created into the plastic of the
card. The card manufacture actually takes your image and makes a translucent
image through the plastic card. This image is very hard to see in normal
conditions but when a light is shined on the back of the card the image will
show through. (Watermarks can be viewed from either side of the card.)
One of the main advantages of a watermark image is no special equipment is
required to view the image. A simple flashlight is all that is needed.
Conclusion
Making your cards secure against counterfeiting isn’t that
hard. By preprinting your cards and utilizing a combination of Holograms,
UV Inks, Watermarks, or Micro-printing, you will create a card that is very hard
to duplicate.
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