Types of ID Cards: From Basic Printed Designs to High-Security Cards with UV and Holographic Features

Looking for the right ID card solution for your business, school, event, or organization? This guide covers every type of ID card—from affordable, simple printed ID cards for everyday use to advanced, high-security ID cards with UV panels, holographic overlays, and anti-fraud features. Whether you’re after a low-cost option for quick identification or need tamper-resistant credentials with built-in security features, you’ll find everything you need to know here. We’ll walk you through each type step by step, including optional upgrades like barcodes, smart chips, and lamination options—so you can choose the perfect ID card that meets both your needs and your budget.

Plain Printed ID Cards with Simple Design

Plain printed ID cards are the most cost-effective and straightforward option for everyday identification needs. Ideal for schools, small businesses, clubs, visitor passes, or temporary staff, these cards include just the essential details—typically a name, photo, role or department, and your company or organization logo.

Printed using high-resolution dye-sublimation or retransfer printing, these basic ID cards still offer a professional look, even without additional layers of security or technology. They can be printed on standard white PVC card stock or eco-friendly materials upon request.

Popular uses for simple printed ID cards:

School student or staff ID cards
Company visitor badges
Temporary or contract worker IDs
Membership cards for gyms or clubs
Event pass lanyard cards

Key Features:

Printed in full colour with photo and logo
Single- or double-sided design
Choice of vertical or horizontal layout
Optional slot punching for lanyards or clips
Fast turnaround and low production costs
Event pass lanyard cards

These cards are perfect if you’re looking for affordable photo ID cards with a clean design and no complex features. If you need more protection, you can always upgrade later to include overlays, barcodes, or UV print.

ID Card Security Features – Protecting Against Forgery, Tampering, and Misuse

As ID cards are increasingly used for access control, identity verification, and compliance, adding security features to ID cards is essential to protect against duplication, forgery, or unauthorized use. Whether you’re issuing staff badges, government credentials, or event passes, integrating security elements ensures your cards are harder to clone or alter.

There are different levels of ID card security, from simple visual features to advanced machine-readable or covert elements. The type of security you choose depends on your environment, industry, and risk level.

Common ID Card Security Features Include:

UV Security Printing (Ultra Violet Features): Invisible to the naked eye, but revealed under UV light, often used for logos, symbols, or verification marks.
Overlay Lamination (Clear or Holographic): Adds durability and protects against wear and tear, tampering, and fading.
Holographic Overlay Film or Patch: Embedded with visual patterns like globes or custom seals to authenticate cards at a glance.
Barcodes and QR Codes: Encoded data for fast scanning or verification.
Ghost Images and Duplicate Portraits: Semi-transparent versions of the photo image added as a secondary visual safeguard.
Custom Printed Backgrounds or Guilloche Patterns: Prevents background tampering or photo replacement.

UV Security Panel – Invisible ID Card Protection Under Ultraviolet Light

For organizations that need an extra layer of protection against counterfeiting, a UV security panel is a powerful and discreet feature that enhances the integrity of your ID cards. This invisible printing method uses special UV-reactive ink to embed images, logos, or text that only appear when exposed to ultraviolet (black) light.

Although invisible under normal lighting, the UV print glows vividly under a UV scanner or torch, making it easy to verify a card’s authenticity during inspections, especially in high-security environments like airports, events, or corporate premises.

Why Choose a UV Security Panel?

Stealth Protection: Cannot be seen or copied using standard printing or scanning equipment.
Fast Visual Authentication: Just shine a UV light to reveal the hidden image or logo.
Customisable UV Elements: Add logos, security words, symbols, or even a duplicate photo.
Used by Official Agencies: UV security panels are widely used in government ID cards, university cards, and access badges.

Typical UV Panel Options:

Single logo or symbol placement
Full UV security backgrounds
Combined with other overlays for multi-layer protection

Adding a UV panel to printed ID cards is a subtle but effective way to protect against unauthorised duplication, and is often paired with overlays for maximum security.