No single feature stops a determined forger. Security works in layers, combining things that are hard to reproduce, hard to notice and easy to verify.
1. Microtext
Text printed at roughly one millimetre height disappears into a line at normal viewing distance but resolves under a loupe. Most office printers cannot hold it cleanly.
2. Guilloche patterns
Interlocking geometric line work is difficult to scan and retouch. It also signals formality, which matters as much as the technical barrier.
3. Security threads and UV ink
A visible thread through the sheet, or a mark that appears only under ultraviolet light, gives a fast physical check at a registration desk.
4. Serialized numbering
A unique number linked to an issue record makes duplication visible. The number is only useful if the record can be queried.
5. QR verification
A QR code resolving to a hosted page confirms holder, credential and status in seconds. It is the layer most people actually use, so it must be reliable and clearly explained.
Choose two or three layers that match the risk. A recognition award needs fewer defences than an exam board diploma, and a well-designed verification page often does more practical work than an expensive physical feature.
