Fake ID's- using your computer  pub # 1.0
by
The Pressman

*****
I, as the author, ask that none of these instructions be carried out. 
They are for information purposes only.  Forgery of legal documents is
highly illegal, and so is possession of one.
*****

  There are two graphics files that should have come with this text
file.  One should be a .GIF.  It is the illustrations.  The second is an
.EPS file.  It is an example of the work.  Both files should be readable
on an IBM or Mac.

  Fake ID's are a fast growing underground business.  They are a
perfect way for the average equipped anarchist to bring in a little extra
cash.  Plus, if your underage, you can safely buy gun powder and
chemicals.  Even if you aren't a minor, it's a great way to eliminate
your name from records. 

A word about the final product-

  These ID's are not perfect.  You CANNOT, I repeat, CANNOT!, fool a
police officer, border patrol, or other forms of legal authority with
these.  They are not designed to be taken out of a wallet.  Have them
behind the clear plastic where lots of people keep them.  You cannot
use them at places that require you to take them out.
  You can, however, fool most liquor store owners, night club
bouncers, and bar tenders.  This, of course, depends on how old you
look.  Obviously a 12 year old is always going to have trouble getting
into a 21 or over nightclub, no matter how convincing the ID.  If you
plan to sell this stuff, I advise you to warn your costumer of these
things.  Remember, when doing business with the underground, an
unhappy costumer can be a dangerous costumer.
  These ID's are not easy to make, and require much patience.  A fair
amount of knowledge dealing with desktop graphics is needed.  The
directions will tell you what to do, but it's your job to figure out how to
use your software.

Equipment:
1.  Computer with at least a 640/480 16 color VGA system.  NOTE:  It
is definitely possible to use a Mac.  All of the software references are
IBM stuff, since I know nothing about Macs.
2.  Semi professional DRAWING program, not a painting program.  I'd
use Corel Draw 3.0.  Paint programs like PC Paintbrush, and Deluxe
Paint will not work.
3.  Fonts.  You'll need Helvetica Black (kind of a super bold), plain
Helvetica, some kind of computer print looking font.  I'd use Corel
Draw's LCD.
4.  300 DPI or higher laser printer, it must be able to print
transparencies.  Most can, but check your manual.  Don't worry about
color output.
5.  35 mm camera (optional)
6.  Razor blade, the wider the better.
7.  Sharp, accurate scissors.  (Very important)

Supplies:
1.  Transparencies.  You can find these at any office supply store. 
They must be the kind that your laser printer can use.
2.  Elmer's rubber cement.
3.  Vector based clipart of your state flag.  Or, if your an artist, you
can draw it.
4.  Real license.  (It will remain undamaged)

Directions:

I  Choosing your state

  The first thing that must be done is to choose the state that you ID
will portray.  It is best to choose your home state, but this is not
always possible.  Use this questionnaire to help you with your
decision.

Part 1
1.  Does your state license have any kind of holograms, bar codes, or
any other electronic data stored on it?
2.  Does it consist of any other color besides these seven colors: red,
blue, green, yellow, purple, cyan, or magenta?  (They must be EXACT. 
Goldenrod does not mean yellow, teal does not mean green.)
3.  Is there any special lamination coating on the license?  (Example:
The state seal embedded in the plastic.)
If you answered "yes" to any of these three questions, then go to Part
2, you cannot use your home state.  If you answered "no" to all of
these questions, then use your own state license, jump to II.

Part 2
Since you cannot use your home state, you'll have to choose a
different one.  Use the guidelines to help with your decision.

1.  Don't choose a state that has frequent visitors in your own state. 
For example, Oregon has lots of visitors from California, Idaho, and
Washington.  If you live in Kansas, you definitely wouldn't choose
Missouri.
2.  Choose a state that isn't well known in your area, but the people
don't act or talk too different from yourself.  For example, If you live in
Maine, don't choose Hawaii or Texas.  Alaska or Washington would be
a better choice.

II  Drawing the license (Illustration #1)

Even if your using a different state, design it to look as close as
possible to your own.  This will ad a touch of familiarity that will
influence the realism.

The size is very important.  It must be EXACT.  Measure the border
with an accurate ruler, preferably the clear kind.  Then draw a box
accordingly.  Round the corners to the correct degree.

A  The black

1.  Measure all of the boxes and lines.  Draw them.
2.  Label them with the correct font; this might take some
experimentation.  Example, Date of Birth, License number.

3.  Fill in the boxes with your bogus information.  Remember to put
your real height, weight. (duh.)  Never use your real name. (duh
again)  Use the computer font.
4.  Check an adults license, it looks a little different than a minors.

B  The color

1.  Import the flag clipart.  Remove everything but the seal.  Change
all the fill colors to clear, and the border colors to your state color. 
Touch up the seal according  to your state.
  If you are using an out of state flag, add a double circle and inside,
put the state name at the top, and the birth at the bottom.  For the
state color, use the main color on the seal. This makes a nice generic
seal.
  Resize and place the seal in the correct spot.

2.  Type in the state name, fill it with the state color.  Use a hairline
border with the same color.  Remember to use the correct font. 
Resize, and stretch according to your license.

III The photo

This is perhaps the most difficult part of creating a fake ID.  There are
two methods.

A  Passport photo's
You can pay six bucks for a passport photo.  Remember to order the
correct size, and to choose the proper curtain color.  You can have
passport photo's taken at most camera shops.  Check the yellow
pages.

B  Making your own
This is much harder, but allows you save some money, and is also a
little safer.  The development cost is about the same, but that is for 24
or 36 exposures, not one.  You can fit a lot of people onto one roll of
film.

1.  Background
a  The background cannot be too reflective, or very textured.  Shower
and beach towels are terrible.  Velvet dresses are perfect.  Cotton
sheets are ok.
b  Use the same color as on your license, or if it's an out of state one,
use light but not pale colors.  Black and dark blue are terrible.  Red
and green are great.

2.  Lighting  (Illustration #2)
a  Use flash, if you don't have it, read on.
b  You can use reading lamps for your lighting.  The object is to
eliminate drastic shadows.

3.  Taking the picture
a  Use a 35 mm camera
b  Use a tripod, and fill the frame with the person's head.
c  Use slightly different zoom settings for each picture.  Take at least
five per person.

3.  Development
You can't develop these pictures at a 1 hour photo shop.  Find a
professional color photo lab, (check the yellow pages) and ask for a
color contact sheet of the film.  They are a large piece of photo paper
with all of the developed photo's on it, the same size as a negative. 
That is the perfect size for an ID.

IV  Printing

If you have a good color printer, then you can skip the rest of this. Just
print it and sign it.

A  The black
1.  Copy the black onto a new document, and keep the outline border. 
Print it out on a transparency, check your manual on how to do this.

B  The color
1.  Copy the color onto a new document.  Don't include the outline
border, but keep the state name and symbol the same distances from
each other.  Label the top in big letters, "State Symbols" and tile a
bunch of bogus state symbols with the name underneath.  Half of
them should be your state symbol and name.  It is now disguised, and
looks like some sort of school project.  (Illustration #3)
2.  Print it out on your printer.
3.  Now take the paper to a print shop that has a color copier. 
(Laserquick, Kinko's).  Ask the printer to copy these onto light gray
paper in the color of your choice.  Color copiers can print a single
color image in eight colors.  Red, blue, yellow, green, purple, cyan,
magenta, and black.  Tell the person what color you want.  Get as
many copies as you can afford.  (Usually around 79 cents a piece.)

V  Assembly
A  The border
The first thing to do is put a border around the colored background
paper.  To do this, scotch tape the corners of the transparency to a
window.  (During daytime.)  Now take the colored background paper
and hold it up to the window, align one of the color backgrounds to
the black transparency, then tape in place.  Take a very sharp pencil
and lightly trace the border onto the background paper.  Trace the
upper right hand corner (where the photo should be) on the other
side.  DON'T CUT IT OUT YET.

B  The picture
1.  Measure the picture on a real ID.  Take a small piece of copier
paper and draw it onto the paper.  Cut it out, and put a very small
drop (the size of a pin head) of rubber cement on the paper.  Smear it
around and let it dry.
2.  Now press it against the photo you plan on using (Glue side
down).  Make sure it is aligned correctly, so that the edges of the
paper make a perfect border around the covered picture.  Using the
paper as a guide, cut out the picture.  Peal off the paper.
3.  Take the razor blade and separate a corner of the thin, plastic
coating consisting of the picture from the rest of the photo paper,
making sure not to damage the photo.  Now peal the rest away with
your fingers.  You should be left with a very thin picture, almost
enough to see through it if it's held up to the light.  It will probably be
curled up; but don't worry about it.
4.  Apply a healthy coating to the upper right corner on the
background paper with rubber cement in the general area where the
photo should be.  (Illustration #4)
5.  Press the photo into place, rolling it down onto the background. 
The upper right corner of the photo should stick out of the
background border.  When the whole thing is dry, use a pencil eraser
to remove any dried rubber from the paper or photo.  Be careful to rip
or smudge anything.

C  The background
1.  Take two sheets of copier paper, roughly the size of the ID (a little
bigger), and glue them together with rubber cement.  Glue them to the
back of the background paper.  Let it dry.
2.  Carefully follow the pencil line, and cut out the background.  When
you get to the photo, turn it over and follow the pencil line on the
other side.  (Illustration #5)  Use the eraser to remove any pencil
marks left on the paper.  You should be left with the colored parts of
the ID, and the photo.
3.  Measure the distance from the bottom of the card to the signature
line.  Draw the line in pencil.  Sign the ID, using a fine line black pen. 
(Something like a uni ball micro by Faber-Castell)
4.  Erase the pencil line after the pen has dried.

D  The black
1.  Cut out the black foreground.  Follow the black line exactly.  Cut
off any pieces that still have the black line on them.
2.  Turn the transparency over, and apply a small glob of rubber
cement to each corner of the transparency.
3.  Using the razor blade like a squeegee, slide it through the glue and
down off the plastic.  Repeat this for each corner.  You should have a
thin film of glue on the back of each corner.
4.  Align the transparency, and press it against the background.  Do this
quickly, before the glue dries, and make sure there are no air bubbles.  If 
you do it right, you should have a complete looking ID.

Insert the ID into a plastic pocket in a wallet.  Be careful not to
damage anything.  Don't keep it there unless you're about to use it,
otherwise, keep it wrapped up in protective paper, and store it behind
your real license.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or corrections, leave a
message to The Pressman on the Ripco BBS.  (312) 528-5020

I'm very interested in information on alarm systems.  If you'd like to
share any of your knowledge, leave me a message.

I'll update this file from time to time, so watch the publication number.