Many card printers offer UV printing as an added security feature. However, because they use low-resolution binary images, they tend to lack the image detail necessary to prevent counterfeiting and alteration. In contrast, the LCP 9000 gives you unparalleled UV security printing on-demand, allowing you to print each individual cardholder’s photo in high resolution UV, which makes verifying their identities much easier for security personnel. You can add variable text or other images, like logos, in UV to further secure the card against alteration.

Laser engraved images are among the hardest to duplicate or forge.  While most card printers attach images and data to the surface of the card, laser engraving permeates to the inner core of the card. Through heat and chemical reaction, this process drives darker molecules to the card’s surface, making the card virtually impossible to modify. Attempting to alter or remove laser engraved images would nearly destroy the card.

To the naked eye, micro text looks like fine lines, but is really made up of small letters that can be read under magnification. This makes the card even harder to duplicate, because the text is so small it cannot be reproduced by copying or scanning.

Did you know a cardholder’s photograph can also hold security features? IPI (Invisible Personal Information) can be encoded into the photograph and read with a special, inexpensive plastic lens. The photograph looks completely normal to the naked eye, but when the lens is held over the photo, encoded text can be read back to validate the card. Any attempt to alter the card would result in damage or loss of the encoded data. Also, important data, like DOB or expiration dates can be embedded into the photo as well.  

Holographic foils and laminate can be added to the top layer of the card after printing and engraving to secure the card surface against tampering. Holograms can be utilized in conjunction with patch laminate to protect the color-printed surface of the card from wear and tear while preventing unauthorized changes to the data and images on the card.

High resolution laser engraving prints crisp, clear personal data that is easily readable but difficult to change or erase. Laser engraved text is the result of a chemical reaction to the heat of the laser. During the engraving process, the dark colors of each letter rise from the core of the card into the surface of the card. Once personalized, they cannot be changed without damaging the card. This prevents counterfeiters from changing important data like the expiration date, date of birth, employee number, etc.

To further prevent counterfeit cards from being produced, certain security elements can be pre-printed into the card body. Pre-printed images and data help validate that the card has been created on certified materials of your choosing, and makes reproduction on generic card material more difficult.