Pennsylvania polycarbonate quality?

PA is one of my favorites. The material is spot on

So I finally got my hands on one of those new Pennsylvania polycarbonate IDs and did a side-by-side with a real issued one. Honestly, I was expecting some subtle differences, but after going over every detail I could think of, I couldn't tell them apart. Figured I'd break down what I looked at so anyone else considering one knows what to expect.

First up, the microprint. The real PA has those tiny repeating letters along the top border and around the keystone outline. On this copy, it's crisp and fully legible under a loupe. No smudging, no missing characters, and the font weight matches perfectly. I checked the "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" line under the photo — same story. I've seen fakes where the microprint blurs into a solid line, but this one holds up to close inspection.

Next, I checked the UV light response. Under a blacklight, the state seal glows a consistent orange-yellow, and the ghost keystone in the middle of the card lights up bright blue. The brightness is spot on — not too dim like some older batches I've seen, and not overly saturated in a way that screams fake. The "PA" letters in the corner also react correctly. The color temperature matches the real card; some copies skew too green or too pink, but this one is neutral.

OVI (optically variable ink) on the keystone is the big tell for a lot of fakes. The real PA uses a gold-to-green shift depending on the angle. On this copy, the color shift is smooth and distinct — tilt it one way and it's bright gold, tilt the other and it's a deep forest green. No patchiness, no leftover silver base underneath. The transition is clean and even across the whole keystone, which is something I've rarely seen done this well.

Card material feel is where polycarbonate really shines. This one has that rigid, slightly glossy finish that the real PA has. It doesn't flex easily, and the edges are smooth with no sharp burrs. The lamination layers are flush — no raised edges or bubbles. It weighs about the same as my real one too, which is important because a lot of polycarb fakes end up a bit heavier or lighter. The texture is slightly slick (not sticky) and the surface doesn't pick up fingerprints any worse than the real thing.

Overall, tbh I'd give this a solid 9.5/10. The only reason it's not a perfect 10 is because I haven't stress-tested it in a scanner or with a magnifier under harsh light, but based on visual and tactile comparison, it's identical. If you're on the fence, I'd say go for it — just make sure your info is clean and you know the common OVI angles so you can pass a quick glance.

Been using mine for 4 months, still in perfect condition