Laser Engraving

What Is Laser Engraving?

Laser engravingLaser engravingManufacturingLaser-etched permanent personalization on polycarbonate cards.Click to view → is a smart card personalization technique that uses a focused laser beam to permanently etch cardholder data -- name, photograph, document number, and security features -- into the card bodycard bodyHardwarePlastic substrate forming the card physical structure.Click to view → material. Unlike printed personalization, which deposits ink on the card surface, laser engraving modifies the card substrate itself, producing tamper-evident personalization that cannot be chemically removed, scraped off, or transferred to another card.

Laser engraving is the standard personalization method for high-security documents including ePassports, national eID cards, and driver licenses, where resistance to photo substitution and identity fraud is critical.

How It Works

The laser engraving process uses different mechanisms depending on the card material:

For polycarbonate cards (used in ePassports and eIDs), the laser penetrates the transparent overlay layers and creates marks within the card core. This means the personalization is literally inside the card, protected by the overlay laminate -- making alteration detectable by visual inspection.

Personalization Capabilities

Modern laser engraving systems can produce:

• Text -- cardholder name, document number, dates, in multiple fonts and sizes down to 0.2 mm character height.
• Photographs -- grayscale portraits with up to 600 DPI resolution, etched into the polycarbonate data page.
• Microtext -- security text readable only under magnification.
• Ghost images -- secondary portrait images at reduced contrast for anti-fraud verification.
• Tactile features -- raised personalization elements detectable by touch, serving as both security and accessibility features.
• Variable data -- serial numbers, barcodes (1D and 2D), and machine-readable elements.

Security Advantages

Laser engraving provides several security benefits over printed personalization:

• Tamper evidence -- any attempt to modify engraved data damages the card structure, creating visible artifacts.
• Chemical resistance -- engraved marks are not affected by solvents that could remove printed ink.
• Depth security -- marks within the card body cannot be lifted or transferred.
• Integration with holographic features -- laser personalization can be applied underneath hot-stamped holographic laminates, creating a multi-layer security structure.

Laser engraving complements electrical personalization -- the chip is loaded with matching data, creating a dual-verification path where the visual personalization can be cross-checked against chip-stored data.