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.