How to make a CA novelty id

[BillytheKid]

I am so glad I found this website. I have been trying to make a high quality California novelty id on and off now for the last year. I figured out how to make the holos awhile back (it’s not that hard) but I still have further questions. I have read the entire fake id thread and couldn’t find the answers to the questions below. If someone could help me that would be cool.

If anyone wants to contribute any tutorials for the CA novelty id on this thread for the betterment of the community, feel free to.


1.) How thick is the real CA id? 30mil?


2.) Is the composition of the CA id 10mil lam/10 mil teslin/10mil lam?


3.) Does anyone know where I can get TXP lam? If no txp is readily available what is the next best lam? transkote? Digikote? I would consider buying txp in bulk for the right price.


4.) Does anyone know where to buy HiCo magnetic tape? I have tried googling and all I come up with are Chinese companies where I would need to buy it in bulk. I would prefer to buy in the states.


5.) How effective are Perf’s ink cartridges for printing the UV on the CA id? Does the ink fade? Where is the best place to buy UV ink that doesn’t fade? China? I found a source in china but if anyone could recommend a source that they have dealt with or have heard good feedback about that would be great.

Any advice on the CA id would be welcomed!!!

[spunone69]

A real CA ID is a little less than 30 mils thick, I use 7 mil pouches and 10 mil teslin. The lamination used to be TXP (soft crystal) now it's just plain old glossy lam on the ones issued after 2008. If you buy the glossy pouches with HiCo magstripes then you don't have to worry about attaching the magstripe and it eliminates one whole step. As for the UV, I haven't bought any UV cartridges in a long time. Holosupplies.com has them, but I think you're better off getting them from Perf, he's actually trial-and-error tested his inks where the guy at holosupplies has no clue if the ink even works or not...he just fills them and sells them without testing anything. Besides, holosupplies is pretty expensive compared to Perf's stuff.

[J10New21]

What colors are used for the california hologram?

[spunone69]

The newest cali holos are 70% interference gold, 25% interference green and 5% sparkle silver (all available from PearlEx)...the sparkle silver is not necessary, but it gives it a little more refractive property. And don't waste your time looking for special laminates like TXP, KRTY, Digikote etc...the 2009 cali ID/DL uses plain old 7 mil glossy lamination. I just got my new Cali DL three months ago and it is completely glossy. I print my holos right onto the butterfly pouches. If you get the pouches with the HiCo stripe, that eliminates the need for buying HiCo mag tape...you can get them pretty cheap at BrainstormID supply. And the newest Cali DL I have is exactly 25 mils thick, the older ones with the TXP are 27 mils. If you use 10 mil teslin and a 7 mil butterfly pouch, the feel and thickness are excellent if it's laminated correctly.

[P41NK1LL3Rx]

some tutorials say to add 5% flouresent (invisible ) powder to the Holo mixture and I think you Gotta use a Die-Cutter too ?

[spunone69]

I think the fluorescent powder is to make the UV stamp on the front...interesting idea though!! You can even go 60/40 gold to green...I noticed the last batch of holos I ran off were a little "light" on the green but they are very passable. And yes, real CA ID'd are die cut...but when using butterfly pouches, that kind of eliminates the need for die cutting. As long as you know how to use an extra-fine emery board, you can shape and smooth the edges to look just as good as a die cut ID.