Fake-ID

There are a few technical terms related to Fake ID's and Photo ID Cards in general.

We have listed a few below, so you know what these sites are talking about.

PVC

PVC stands for Poly Vinyl Chloride, a chemical compound which is good for creating flat plastic surfaces with a high level of torsion and flex resistance. That is to say, you can bend it and it will go back to the way it was. PVC is used in the majority of plastic cards, including credit cards and ATM cards.

Lamination

A "lamina" means a sheet of some sort. Lamination is typically a heat reactive layer that bonds with another surface. Old style ID cards are laminated, you can identify them by the clear plastic that extends beyond the printed area. These cards have been superseded by more advanced all-in-one plastic ID cards.

Thermal Printing

Thermal printing refers to a print process where by a print medium such as an inked ribbon is heated by a printhead, which then applies the ink to the PVC card by a method called dye sublimation. Many UK ID card firms use Thermal PVC Card printers to print their cards.

Dye Sublimation

Dye sublimation is another descriptive term for thermal printing. Sublimation means a change of state from solid to gas without going through the liquid stage. Ink is sublimated (that is, vaporised from solid to gas) just above the surface of the card. A standard CR80 credit card is 1029 x 645 pixels, so a printhead can fire 645 different pixels at 1029 discrete intervals of intensity to make up a plastic card.

HDP / Retransfer

HDP stands for High Definition Printing, and is similar to Dye Sublimation printing in that it uses the same ribbon and printhead system. However, the image to be printed on the card is first printed on to a clear transfer ribbon. This transfer ribbon is then wound back and fused to the PVC card. This process allows for greater print quality, and also makes the cards completely tamperproof.

Holograms

A hologram is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object. The silver area on a credit card with a bird flapping it's wings is an example of a hologram. Fake ID manufacturers use holograms to give them added authenticity.

Embossing

To emboss means to effect a raised surface on an otherwise flat surface. Again, you can see an example of embossing on a credit card or an ATM card, where names and account details are pressed through the cards and tipped with silver and gold foil.

Signature Panel

A signature panel is an area of a plastic card that can be written on using a pen, usually so you can sign it.

Holofoil

Holofoil is a simpler substitute for holograms. It is a metallic foil that diffracts a rainbow in a mirrored fashion.

Magnetic Stripe

A magnetic stripe is a piece of magnetic tape that is laminated to the surface of a plastic card. It can be encoded with data that can be read using a magnetic stripe reader.

Smart Chip

A smart chip is a small memory chip that can be embedded into a plastic card, to store data about the cardholder.