Question about scannability

Quick question that's been bugging me – hoping some of you with more hands‑on experience can chime in. I'm looking at IDs that need to hold up at places that actually scan: bars, clubs, sometimes even package pickup. I've seen a few people say "you're fine if the vendor knows what they're doing," but I'm not convinced it's that simple. Does scannability really depend more on the state you're replicating than on the vendor themselves? Or is there a baseline level of quality that's table stakes for any ID to pass a scanner?

I've been reading up on what actually makes a scan work, and honestly it seems like a lot more than just the barcode – though that's obviously critical. The hologram overlay construction really matters because scanners that read the full front surface – like the newer Box Scanner units – won't just check the 1D/2D code; they also look for the right reflective behavior from the hologram. If the overlay is too thick or the wrong pattern of micro‑text / state seal replicates poorly, you get a "fail" or "see attendant." I've also noticed that ghost images – those faint secondary photos printed in the laminate – have to have enough contrast and alignment with the main photo. If the ghost is too faint or offset, real scanners flag it as a poor lamination job.

Then there's the perforation pattern quality – that's a whole other rabbit hole. Some states use micro‑perforations in the card that are visible when held to light; in others the perforations are more of a UV feature. I've heard that if those tiny holes are even slightly off – wrong number per inch, wrong shape, or drilled instead of laser‑cut – the ID won't pass the more advanced ID scanners that confirm thickness and light transmission. Similarly, UV detail accuracy is tricky – the UV ink has to hit the exact Pantone under blacklight, and even a small brightness difference can cause a mismatch. I've seen test results where a UV state seal that's 10% too bright gets flagged as "probable fake" by dedicated UV scanners.

Scanner test results vary wildly depending on the model. A simple swipe reader that only checks the magnetic stripe might work fine even if the card is mid‑tier, but the newer presentation scanners – like the IDScan or SecureCheck units – do a full image capture and compare dozens of features. I've personally run a few test cards through a buddy's scanner and found that some states' IDs scan flawlessly across the board – typically the more common states with simpler designs – while others with complex holograms or UV layers fail even if the barcode decodes perfectly.

So, going back to my original question: do all IDs from vendors scan properly, or is it really state‑dependent? And for the places that actually scan – the kind with the newer hardware – what specific technical details should I be looking for to make sure I don't get burned? Any experience with hologram overlay quality or ghost image clarity making the difference between a pass and a fail?