A license plate starts out as a square sheet of metal called a blank. This square metal sheet is then layered with a plastic material that carries the graphics for the plate. This could include the state flower, bird or any of the additional graphics you see on today's license plates. The material is affixed to the plate in a press. Then the plate travels to the embossing or printing department, where the letters are "embossed" using steel dies on the plate.
The newly "printed" plates with the numbers are not finished yet. They get a full five-year sealant coating. They are dipped into a bath of clear sealer and then finally sent to be died. During the dying process, the numbers and letters are colored to finish the plate. The plates also have reflective material in the surface to make them highly visible in light. This material is made of glass fragments and is part of the plastic sheet material applied in the first step.
