# High Security Passport ID Card NOTE: See my [[#Design Review and Evolution Notes]] further down this document for my updated day-by-day notes on design improvements. ## What is the Use/Intention for this Card - Create a secure, tamperproof passport card that can be adopted as a "Universal Passport" by governments. The embedded microprocessor chip and voluminous storage can bear both universal and multi-national credentials. - Securely storing of ePassport biometric credentials. - Provide visual identity confirmation upon cursory inspection. - Note: It's not simply artwork; the chip is the real magic. ### Non-Negotiable Design Elements Some design and security elements are non-negotiable in either their presence and possible their exact position and size: - Bearer photograph (large, left side) - Bearer photograph ghost image (small, right side) - MRZ[^3] on the card back side - The minimum data fields which appear on all national passports ## My Design Style for All Cards NOTE: The following are my process and inclusions for ***ALL*** cards I have produced. I have printing and encoding equipment that rivals government passport and currency generation. ### Overall Design: Visually and Structurally - First and foremost, **I strive for the "WOW" reaction any time someone picks up a card.** - If I can't achieve "WOW", then I will not bother creating a card at all. - I ensure that every card I produce has more security features than a US Passport, or US currency. - I create many deeply complex, overlapping layers, with transparency. - I want to see incredible depth upon close examination. - My designs are a minimum of 8 overlapping layers. - I choose and assemble a 3-primary color palette, which is unique for every card, including: - Primary color (the dominant color) - Primary accent color - Primary complementary color - Alternate accent color - Alternate accent color - Text colors on light - Text colors on dark - Shades and tints for all colors - Multiple guilloche[^2] backgrounds, zones, and rosettes. - Gradient overlays and fills are consistent throughout. - I incorporate multiple Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 security features. - They're a hefty deterrent against counterfeiting. - I have my own algorithms affecting the placement and rotation of artwork elements. - I create my own unique TrueType fonts for any and all text used on cards. - Each card has a unique, hand selected, edge color. - The Marc of the Creator always appears. - There are multiple tributes to my wife in every piece of work I produce. ### Security Features I Always Implement #### Level 1 - Overt - "Tiny" text, which is not small enough to be considered microtext. The intention is for people to be able to see the tiny text without magnification. - Ghost images created with the laser. - Fine line guilloche patterns. - Intaglio printing for an etched look on card elements. - Tactile text elements marked by heavy laser etching. - Registered hologram card overlays, for authenticity, that reflect in the light. - Artificial hologram strips and/or elements that convey the concept of the light-reflecting hologram overlay. - A EURion Constellation[^1] which implements a confidential Vertisan algorithm. - Laser-drilled holes for a document identifier. - Fractal card UUIDs and minting information. - Vertisan Security Glyphs and the Vertisan Language. - Algorithmic checksums. #### Level 2 - Covert - An ultraviolet overlay with print-on-demand encoding, requiring a 365nm UV light. - Positional overlays - Wireframing - On-demand encoding - Starburst guilloche rosettes - Multiple non-diffractive microtext and microprinting elements, as small as 175 microns high, which require a magnifying glass. - Covert Laser Retrievable (CLR) images and characters. - True color micro images, as small as three square millimeters, which require a magnifying loupe to authenticate. - I sign all my work. #### Level 3 - Forensic - Nanoprinting text and elements at 1200dpi, that can only be seen under a microscope. - 40 to 175 micron nanotext, which appear as curved or straight solid lines under a magnifying glass. - Nano imagery, which provides excellent clarity and definition when viewed under a highly sophisticated, high-powered microscope. ## Design Review and Evolution Notes This is my highly contemplative, deep review, process which I go through after every **major** round of design work. ### Review : 10 Oct 2026 : Card v30 <div id="vcos-surrounding-container"> <div id="vcos-card-container"> <img class="cr80card" src="_media/passport/PassportCard-front-v29.png" alt="v29 card front" /> </div> <div id="vcos-card-container"> <img class="cr80card" src="_media/passport/PassportCard-back-v29.png" alt="v29 card back" /> </div> </div> It's late on the 10th of October and I am sitting down to review the latest version of the card that has been printed. I'm holding printed card <b>v30</b>. I'm sure there will be a lot more prints before this design is finalized. I need to collect my thoughts here and establish a starting list of changes and improvements before starting the live stream again. #### Card Front Thoughts This hasn't gone as quickly as I expected. I spent more than 10 hours on the holofoil patch alone. I see lots of improvement, but there's still a lot improve upon. I'm happy with the overall design theme as implemented so far. Zeus doing work and the beam is appropriate and it divides the front of the card well into 6 clear zones for microprinting backgrounds. I'm still not "WOW" yet, so this definitely needs more work; not only improvements, but clear broad decisions that will affect the overall design. Shit, what to do?... well, that's the point of writing these notes. ###### Small Tweaks - Check the data fields font size against exemplars to ensure global compliance. - Slightly darken up the ghost image 'B'. - Check the left-side over bleed. I am seeing 0.001mm of white. - Move the 'blob' security element off the card for now. I might put it on top of the engine work gearbox. - Find a better home for the Vertisan 'V' with spotlight, or move it off the card temporarily. - Reword the black and red of the Document Number to fit automated production and laser marking. - Update the text of the Document Number, following the correct format {pcidx1:00000000:afx2} - Make the Document Number slightly larger - Ensure the vertical numerical encoding, on the left side of the card, matches the automated production capabilities ###### Design To Do - Move the whole Zeus Working assembly to the right 8mm. I want the security holofoil stamp to pop more on the background and not cover up a large portion of the beam and the beam shadow. - Rework the entire Card Title area. It is NOT impressive at all. Yuck: - Make the VERTISAN wordmark significantly more bold - Add deep cut hashing to the VERTISAN wordmark - Increase the transparent stroke of the VERTISAN wordmark - Beef up the blue stroke around the VERTISAN wordmark - Give the Title Bar area more vertical height - Fix the Title Bar area gradient, so it's not washed out. It needs to pop. - Increase the size of "PASSPORT BIOMETRICS" - Move Given Name(s) and Surname into Zone 1, 2mm to the right of the primary bearer photo. - Add additional non-negotiable data fields and arrange them within the design zones. - Rework the ghost image to properly represent the impression given by MLI[^5] (multiple laser image): - Add the date of birth as the 'A' image - Get the exact font representation for the DOB 'A' image, to ensure global compliance - Add scan lines to approximate the result of laser marking over the 'B' ghost image - Change the Ghost Image from a circular clipping mask to rectangular. 9mm x 12mm. 5mm from card right edge and 24mm from card top edge. - Rework the organic gold pseudo-hologram on the right edge of the card: - Update the shape of the organic line after moving the entire Zeus assembly to the right - Fix the gold pseudo-hologram. It's totally washed out, unlike the first experiment card - Make colored microprinting backgrounds for Zones 1-6 - Add my red flag elements somewhere - Throw a few additional stars on there - Make a decorative frame over the bearer image that will be printed in issuance module #6 - Update the Holofoil Patch - Replace the temporary bee with one that more closely matched the orientation and skew of the hive - Add a few more stars at the lower bottom, inside the ring - Increase the Text Ring font size - Put a little rainbow lens flare in there ###### Security Elements to Add - Multi-width line elements - Watermarked security glyphs - Try to work in 3D vertical text along a spiral path in the UV layer. (security feature) - Encoded checksums - Ciphered algorithm values - "The line" - Add the 50micron nanotext #### Card Back Thoughts What a phenomenal start to the back side of the card! I think I gave the back side roughly 45-60 minutes of attention, going from blank white to very cool. ###### Small Tweaks - Move the Marc of the Creator down and to the left a little. It needs to have proper margins so I can place the back side holofoil stamp on top of it as the last card production step. The back side holofoil stamps measure 20mm round. The patches need a 2mm margin from the top and right side of the card, which means the Marc of the Creator should be centered at 12mm inset from the edges of the card. - Move the Vertisan starburst off the card for now ###### Design To Do - Rework Zeus with appropriate arms and hands to hold the chip - Add the guilloche flowing lines, emanating from the card left edge - Make the MRZ background - Snazzy, but not interfering with the OCR - Add additional Fractal particle data elements ###### Security Elements to Add - 50micron nanotext - Validation checksums and ciphers #### Production To Do - Verify automation of the following issuance modules: 1. Card body material and isotope validation 2. Duplex YMCK printing 3. Duplex UV 4. Inline chip encoding 5. Duplex laser marking 6. Secondary duplex YMCK printing 7. Full card 7-layer hologram overlay 8. Front side Holofoil Patch application 9. Back side Holofoil Patch application 10. Automated QA testing of the printing, laser marking, orientation of hologram overlays and patches, multi-positional element algorithms, chip encoding, and encrypted read/write chip operations - Automate and verify the card's Chip Encoding with the Vertisan Card OS, encryption keys, multi-structure, and the Pyramid Curse in module #2 - Successfully test, once again, the passport enrollment process with the Vertisan Biometric Tablet and write to an existing unlocked bearer card - Create the front and back UV (ultra violet) layers - Create the laser marking design for the front and back: - Regular marking for data elements - Deep marking for the document number - Deep marking for the Date of Birth, in the format {dd mmm yyyy} - Variable marking for nationality - Transparent etching layer for the full card overlay - MLI with Ghost image 'B' and Date of Birth 'A', in the format {dd MM yy} - Laser drilled holes in the bottom-right for the document number - Receive and apply the full card hologram overlay laminate to the production module # - Receive and apply the live holofoil patches to the production modules ## Notes from Exemplars ### US Passport Card Zones, Fills, and Notes: - One impact element - the E Pluribus Unum[^4] eagle. - They don't do any transparency with their layers. - There are five background fill zones. - Top left - Bottom left - Top center - Bottom center - Right - Multiple cross-hatching fills for the impact element. - Holofoil patch over the bottom-left corner of the bearer image. ### US Passport Zones, Fills, and Notes: - One impact element - the E Pluribus Unum[^4] eagle. - They don't do any transparency with their layers. - One edge to edge background zone. - Custom typeface for bearer information. - Mostly transparent laser etching of Mount Rushmore and an eagle. - Laser drilled holes for the document number. ##### Relevant Search Tags > #passport #secure-id #high-security-id #passport-card <span style="font-size: 75%; margin-bottom: 0;">**Document properties:**</span> <span style="font-size: 75%; margin-bottom: 0;">date created: 09 Oct 2026 @ 06:39</span> <span style="font-size: 75%; margin-bottom: 0;">last modified: 11 Oct 2026 - 02:59:32</span> [^1]: [EURion constellation - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EURion_constellation) [^2]: [Guilloché - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilloch%C3%A9) [^3]: [Machine-readable passport - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine-readable_passport) [^4]: [E pluribus unum - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_pluribus_unum) [^5]: [Multiple Laser Image explained (MLI / CLI)](https://regulaforensics.com/glossary/documents/multiple-laser-image-changeable-laser-image-mli-cli/)