Cards are very popular and useful as far as identification and security is concerned. An ID card (identification card) is a piece of documentation that is designed and used to validate the identity of the person carrying it. With an ID card, the bearer is recognized in all the financial and administrative sectors. It is also a document of authentication that lets him or her to be protected by the law of the state.

You must have seen library cards and authorizing bank transfers, they are a kind of identity documents that only contains the bearer's identity. An identity document will be called a complete ‘identity card' only when it is in form of the standard sized cards like ISO 7810 cards. These cards are generally plastic cards. You can also select from other card sizes like CR 80, CR 90 CR 1000 and others. Identity cards that carry a photograph of the bearer are called photo cards.

These days most all ID cards are also photo ID in order to add reliability and authenticity. Photo ID cards have become more popular because they avoid the chances of transfer of cards to other people. It makes identity cards a complete bearer's object. ID cards have defined custom card sizes and a selection can be made from different card sheet layouts. The high-tech smart card is another type of ID card that can be completely read by computer and detect flaws if there are any.

The main purpose of an ID card is to provide information about the bearer. An ID card contains primary information like name, date of birth, sex, parent's name, complete address (the address should be updated in the card if you have changed in the recent past), nationality (in multinational states), and social security number. The photo ID card also carries other information that is equally important but secondary. This information is height, weight, blood type, color of eyes, hair and some birthmark (for identification purpose). ID cards issued by a state are the unique civil identity of a person. It determines and defines a relation between the person and the state.

A photo ID card is for your security but it is necessary for you to secure your own ID card. New technologies like magnetic strips, 2D barcodes, watermarks, biometric signatures and images give complete protection to your ID card and due to them; it has become much harder to misuse another person's ID card.