Idaho driver's license design features

Idaho is a state that does not get much coverage in vendor reviews, but the current license design has some distinctive elements worth documenting for anyone considering ordering one.

Visual design

Idaho's current license uses a portrait format for under-21 holders and landscape for standard adult licenses. The background features the Sawtooth Mountains and Snake River imagery, using a blue-green color palette that is fairly distinct from neighboring states. The Idaho state seal appears prominently and the "Gem State" designation is incorporated into the design.

Holographic overlay

Idaho uses a partial-card overlay rather than a full-card hologram. The overlay strip covers the photo area and extends across the top portion of the card. The holographic design incorporates the Idaho state outline. Color shift is a gold-to-blue transition that is visible under normal light. The overlay strip edge has a defined boundary that should be precise — ragged or curved edges on the overlay are a clear production indicator.

Unique features

Idaho licenses include a state-specific document discriminator that incorporates the cardholder's date of birth in a specific encoding format. This field appears in the barcode data and should be consistent with the printed DOB on the card face. Idaho also uses a specific license number format — seven characters with a specific state-derived prefix formula — that quality vendors implement correctly.

Vendor availability

Idaho is produced by fewer vendors than major coastal states. I found three vendors offering current Idaho templates in a recent search. One had reviews specifically praising the hologram strip quality; the other two had no recent state-specific reviews. For Idaho, I would prioritize asking about the overlay strip precision before ordering rather than assuming quality from general vendor reputation.

Idaho's overlay strip is one of the design elements where vendor quality separates most clearly. The strip's position relative to the photo and text zones, and its interaction with the underlying print at the edges, is visible in any clear photo of the card. Asking for a sample image that shows the overlay edge behavior — rather than a full-face photo where edge detail is less visible — gives a more accurate quality assessment for this specific element.