Today, plastic cards have become ubiquitous, and the number of their holders continues to grow. This popularity also has a negative side, as the number of crimes related to payment cards is also growing. Attackers are not asleep and are constantly updating their arsenal of bypassing protection. In this regard, there is a need to protect such cards from possible counterfeiting.
Lamination and varnishing of plastic cards
The first protective barrier is lamination with a transparent material with high strength. This makes the card more durable in use and extends its service life. Thus, it is not erased due to mechanical damage, and the quality of reading information from it by ATMs and terminals does not suffer.
Another protection method is varnishing, for which a special varnish is used that hardens under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. This technology is outdated, since lamination has surpassed it both in strength and in technological simplicity.
Visual methods of protecting plastic cards
The use of photos, personalized images, and special effects also increases the chances of cards and banknotes surviving in the face of intruders. Let's consider them in order:
A photograph of the holder on the card allows for each payment to make a kind of express diagnostics, which quickly identifies a fake.
Summing up, we can say that the existing methods of protecting bank cards from counterfeiting are very diverse. The most reliable of them are personalized cards, as well as cards with holograms, micro- and UV fonts, which are extremely difficult to copy without special printing tools. As for the methods of protecting plastic from damage, modern lamination makes it as resistant to scratches and other damage as possible, which is extremely important when reading card data by an ATM.
Lamination and varnishing of plastic cards
The first protective barrier is lamination with a transparent material with high strength. This makes the card more durable in use and extends its service life. Thus, it is not erased due to mechanical damage, and the quality of reading information from it by ATMs and terminals does not suffer.
Another protection method is varnishing, for which a special varnish is used that hardens under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. This technology is outdated, since lamination has surpassed it both in strength and in technological simplicity.
Visual methods of protecting plastic cards
The use of photos, personalized images, and special effects also increases the chances of cards and banknotes surviving in the face of intruders. Let's consider them in order:
A photograph of the holder on the card allows for each payment to make a kind of express diagnostics, which quickly identifies a fake.
- The choice of an individual, personalized image should be guided by the multicolor and complexity - this makes it difficult to forge a card, the ability to copy it. At the same time, the design of the card should not be overloaded. It is better to choose an image that is recognizable and unique, since a primitive image is easier to copy.
- The hologram is the most optimal solution with tz. visual protection of the card. A three-dimensional holographic image carries information about the degree of intensity and phase of the reflected light. The hologram is laminated. The more complex the holographic image, the more difficult it is to counterfeit, and the higher the cost of issuing the card. The hologram provides a high degree of protection.
- Guilloche card protection is another type of graphical tools used to prevent copying. This is the drawing on the surface of the plastic of a pattern consisting of a large number of lines of various sizes, which overlap and intersect each other, forming a pattern. This method of protection is quite old, but it has proven itself in the issuance of banknotes and securities. Such a drawing is difficult both in working with it and when scanning it.
- Special inks, visible exclusively in the UV spectrum, are another way to keep your funds safe from criminals. Ultraviolet inks are used in banknote printing, but their disadvantage is the need for reading equipment.
- In conclusion, it is worth considering such a method of protection as using a micro font. Such a font is printed exclusively on special equipment that produces bank cards. Such a font is readable only with a magnifying glass with multiple magnification. It is not possible to counterfeit this protection on other printing equipment.
Summing up, we can say that the existing methods of protecting bank cards from counterfeiting are very diverse. The most reliable of them are personalized cards, as well as cards with holograms, micro- and UV fonts, which are extremely difficult to copy without special printing tools. As for the methods of protecting plastic from damage, modern lamination makes it as resistant to scratches and other damage as possible, which is extremely important when reading card data by an ATM.
