The barcode on the back is encoded with the information on the front. Even if you’re changing the text, you still want it to show the same state, license number, and unmodified information. It is easier to change a photo than to change the text.

You can find Sumo Paint at https://www. sumopaint. com/ and Paint. Net at https://www. getpaint. net/. Both of these online programs are free to use.

Alternatively, you can put the new photo over the location where the photo belongs on the ID and the cut the sides of the image off with the crop tool in whatever program you’re using. Hold the shift key down in Microsoft programs while dragging the corner of a photo to keep the ratio between the sides of the image identical to the original photo. If your new photo won’t go in front of the ID, right click it and find the layers tab. Select “bring it to the front” or “front” to make it lay on top of the ID. If you need to take a new photo specifically for your new ID, use a camera and a tripod to take it. Try to duplicate the background on the original ID by hanging a drape or bedsheet of the same color behind you.

Courier, with slab serif, is used on a lot of older licenses. A lot of newer driver’s licenses use Arial—or some slightly-modified version of it.

You can zoom in and modify the text that already exists instead of replacing it. For example, you can turn an 8 into a 6 by clone stamping the upper section of an 8 on the right. Similarly, you can turn a 6 into an 8 by cloning the bottom right of the lower loop and pasting it into the opening. If you plan on changing entire lines of text, the end result is going to look really bad. Try to modify as few of the text fields as possible since the clone tools in editing programs will only work on a smaller scale with the complicated backgrounds of most IDs. Check the base of any new text you enter to ensure that it lines up with the other characters on the ID.

Enter a full name, without abbreviations. The only instance in which you might use an abbreviation is for things like “Albert Smith Jr. " or “Thomas Jones III. " Use a realistic birth date. Don’t leave the birth date as 1951 if you look 20 years old.

The weight of cardstock refers to how heavy 500 sheets of a particular type of paper is. 130 is probably the heaviest that you can print at home on a standard printer. You can use a paper cutter if you have one. This will result in cleaner lines, but they may fray along the edges depending on the style of cardstock you use. [7] X Research source

Leave your ID for 4-8 hours before touching it again.

Depending on the make and model of your laminator, you may need to let it warm up for a few minutes before using it. If the temperature is too high, the glue in between the 2 layers of cardstock will melt. Trim the laminate with a pair of scissors or a utility knife. It should be really easy to get a clean cut when trimming the laminate since it’s so thin.

A lot of medium- and high-end laser printers have the capacity to print on Teslin paper, but the quality may be low if you try to use a printer that doesn’t have manual controls for the print settings.

You can use regular laminate pouches if you want, but butterfly laminates come with a crease that reduces the odds of air bubbles forming on your ID. Since air bubbles are one of the biggest tip-offs that an ID is fake, you really need to use a butterfly pouch. Get a laminate pouch with a holographic exterior to make your ID look authentic. You won’t be able to find identical patterns unless you buy some illegally or download the template on the deep web.

The most popular torrent-hosting site is https://torrentfreak. com/. To digitally edit a real ID, you’ll need to use the duplicate/stamp clone tool and erase every single line of unique text. Some templates are form-fillable, meaning that you can simply type each line of text into the template and print it that way.

Don’t take your photo on a phone. Even if the picture looks good, the resolution is probably wrong for an ID card. Use a high-quality camera on a low shutter speed to take the photo.

In Photoshop, click the adjustments panel on the side. Select the layer that your photo is on and slide the brightness, contrast, and saturation to adjust the colors and light in your photo.

Try to make as few adjustments to the size of your image as possible. This will reduce the odds that the resolution comes out fuzzy when you print the ID.

Other common restriction codes include “B” for people that wear corrective lenses or glasses, and “R” for motorcycles. If either of these apply to you, change the endorsement code.

It can be kind of tough to free-hand a signature with the mouse. Feel free to redo it until you get a signature that matches your real one. On a lot of fake IDs, the signature is a dead giveaway that it’s not authentic. Do your best to get the thickness of the lines to match by adjusting the size of your brush in the editing software. Keep in mind that the signature on IDs will never extend beyond the allotted borders for it on a real ID. Use the erase tool to trim any sections that go past the box for your signature.

If you can, use a pigment-based inkjet printer. These tend to produce vibrant results and work well with Teslin, even though they’re inkjet printers. They are usually more expensive though.

The butterfly pouch is just a folded sheet of laminate. The crease at the top is the side you enter into the laminator first. This ensures that no air bubbles get trapped in the laminate.