ID Card Security
There are a wide range of printing techniques that heighten the security on your cards, making them much harder to fraudulently replicate. The table below lists the techniques we are able to provide for you with links to a more detailed explanation further down the page.
| Security Level | Security Feature |
| Basic | HoloKote Metallic Ribbon |
| Advanced Higher cost, difficult to forge. Used by financial sector organisations.. |
UK ink UV cards M-feature |
| Ultra Secure High cost, difficult to forge. Used by Government organisations to produce cards such as driving licenses and National Identity Cards. |
Metameric inks Thermochromic inks or dyes Iris printing HoloKote Fineline or microprinting M-feature IR-feature OVI® Printed hidden image Hologram Holographic stripe Kinegram® TKO foil Guilloché |
Metameric Inks
Metameric inks work on the principle of metamerism; two colours matching under one set of lighting conditions can appear quite different under another set. The effect of such a feature can be seen above. Under normal viewing conditions nothing is apparent but when viewed under a red filter a numeral appears.
Thermochromic Inks or Dyes
These are temperature sensitive compounds that temporarily change colour with exposure to heat. They come in two forms, liquid crystals and leuco dyes. Leuco dyes are easier to work with and allow for a greater range of applications.
Iris Printing
The colours gradually change their shade from one colour to the next. Colour copiers can not reproduce this effect and counterfeits can be detected very easily.
Typology: Printed
Categorisation: Class 1
In conventional 4 colour printing technique.
Fineline or Microprinting
Fineline or microprinting refers to very thin and small printed characters or entire words. Without the use of a lens the structure appears as a continuous line. The characters contained in these lines cannot be reproduced with conventional copy methods.
Typology: Printed
Categorisation: Class 1-2
UV Ink
UV (Ultraviolet) ink is invisible under regular illumination. By viewing the card under UV light, all logos, design structures or texts become visible either in blue, red or green/yellow. The UV printing element cannot be copied.
Typology: Printed
Categorisation: Class 2
M-Feature
The M-feature is defined as a special pigment ink, which is mixed with printing ink. If the element is viewed under IR light, the special pigment ink reflects brown and green colours.
Typology: Printed
Categorisation: Class 2
IR-Feature
By means of a special decoding lens camera applied to an IR enabled camera, the printed IR colour becomes invisible whereas all logos, design structures or texts remain visible on the monitor. Infrared colours are invisible under the light spectrum of 800 - 1300 nm.
Typology: Printed
Categorisation: Class 2
OVI®
Optical Variable Ink is a high security feature showing different colours as the angle of view changes. Optical Variable Ink can have a support printing by a dark colour shade to get a luscious colour effect.
Typology: Printed
Categorisation: Class 1-2
OVI® - Trademark by Sicpa
Printed Hidden Image
The Printed Hidden Image will be produced by means of a halftone displacement of the hidden image. The printed hidden image is only visible with a special decoding lens.
Typology: Printed
Categorisation: Class 2
Hologram
Holograms are applied to the card surface in a 2 or 3 dimensional appearance. Holograms are well known from credit cards. The range of classifications is a result of the great variety hologram designs. There are holograms with machine readable features which can only be read with special equipment.
Typology: Applied
Categorisation: Class 1-3
Holographic Stripe
A holographic stripe may contain individual logos, characters or other information. The holographic stripe can be implemented horizontally or vertically under the top layer of the card.
Typology: Applied
Categorisation: Class 1-3
Kinegram®
A Kinegram consists of microscopically tiny areas with refractive characteristics. When viewing a Kinegram® from different angles, various designs or structures become visible. A Kinegram® can be implemented in clear transparent or in metallic silver.
Typology: Applied
Categorisation: Class 1-3
TKO foil
A TKO (Transparent Kinegram® Overlay) is a special thin transparent foil, which contains full-faced Kinegrams®. This foil is applied to the entire surface of the card. Information underneath remains readable.
Guilloché
Guilloché is a decorative technique in which a very precise, intricate and repetitive pattern is printed to protect against forged copies. The pattern used in this instance is called a spirograph in mathematics, that is, a hypotrochoid generated by a fixed point on a circle rolling inside a fixed circle. These patterns bear a strong resemblance to the designs produced on the Spirograph, a children's toy. This technique is found on the background of bank notes.
