Gemalto Takes a Laser to its Polycarbonate IDs

Gemalto has taken a laser to its identity document solutions – to improve their security.

The company has announced that its Gemalto Color Laser Shield technology can now be applied to polycarbonate documents like driver’s licenses, health cards, passports, and so on. That means Gemalto Color Variable Microtext, which requires a magnifying glass to be read, can be added to such documents, as can the Gemalto Color Window, allowing for color laser-engraved portraits that Gemalto says are impossible to copy.

In a statement announcing the new solutions, Gemalto asserted that any attempts to tamper with laser-encoded documents “will be immediately visible.” And Gemalto Government Business Unit ID Document Solutions SVP Youzec Kurp suggested that there are more upgrades to come, asserting that Gemalto Color Laser Shield “will see further innovations in the very near future.”

The upgrade’s announcement comes as Gemalto continues its negotiations with Thales with respect to the latter’s acquisition of Gemalto, which is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year.