Secure Printing

Manufactured with paper

Paper Composition

For the manufacture of secure printing products, high-quality paper is used without optical brightener (that is, without fluorescence in UV rays). The composition of banknote paper may vary (a large proportion of cotton fibers is often used), banknote paper has high strength, wear resistance, and may also have additional reinforcing fibers. ^[3] . In some countries, a polymer base is used to make banknotes instead of paper. ^[one]

The paper casting method is also a protective feature, a trace of the paper machine grid is one of the protective features. ^[3]

Watermark

Watermark - a pattern introduced in the process of paper production on a paper machine is expressed in a local change in the density of the paper, which gives a pattern distinguishable by transparency. Depending on the method of forming the watermark distinguish: ^[1]

• • Plain (dark or light)
  • Two-tone
  • Multi-tone (portrait)

Protective inclusions

Inclusions - objects introduced into the paper pulp during production. After production, they form a single whole with paper, they are clearly distinguishable both with the naked eye and with the use of magnifying glasses. Below are some inclusion options: ^[1]

• • Security thread - most often a polymer thread embedded in the paper pulp during casting. It may contain holograms, optically variable patterns, metallization, etc. It can be “diving”, going to the surface of the paper and again disappearing into its thickness, while being continuous in the light. Using a polymer thread allows you to embed in it protective features that are impossible for execution on paper.
  • Protective fibers - long pieces of fibers of a color different from paper, often painted with fluorescent pigments and glow in UV rays. Using a sharp object, they can be separated from the paper base, which cannot be done with a printed imitation.
  • Confetti
  • Other physical objects

Chemical Protection

Chemical protection - during the production of paper, special chemicals can be introduced into the paper pulp, which can change color or properties when exposed to solvents. Also, paper can be impregnated with microcapsules with a phosphor released by mechanical action. Such protection is used for documents whose forgery involves cleaning up - if you try to change the print using solvents or mechanically - traces of exposure to the paper will be visible. ^[one]

Printing Protection

To provide protection against counterfeiting in the manufacture of secure printing, technological methods are used that are not used in conventional printing, making it difficult to create simulations on widely available equipment. Also, when printing, security features based on the chemical composition of the ink may be added. Below are the most common printing protection methods.

Print-based protections

Intaglio printing is a type of printing when the printing form transfers ink in the elements of the recesses of the form (the opposite - Letterpress when the protruding elements of the form transfer ink). A kind of gravure printing most often used for the production of security printing - Metallography . Intaglio printing provides a clear picture with a fairly thick layer of ink, and is clearly distinguishable both visually and by touch. There are very few manufacturers of metallographic printing machines in the world, and their turnover is regulated by the state. ^[one]

Iris printing is also an “iris peal” - a technological technique when several colors are applied to a printing form, providing a smooth transition of the color of the lines, without a gap. Often used when printing guilloche. Smooth color transition of lines is difficult to reproduce on ordinary color printing equipment due to color separation , when examining the lines under a magnifying glass at the fake, line artifacts introduced by color separation will be noticeable.

Oryol printing is a technological method of applying several inks to a printing form, forming a sharp transition in the color of lines, while maintaining its continuity, in many ways similar to iris printing. Invented and introduced by Ivan Ivanovich Orlov (1861-1928) . ^[1] When you try to simulate Oryol printing on ordinary printing equipment due to color separation, line artifacts will be noticeable when the color changes — in Oryol printing, lines are continuous when the color changes.

Letterpress is a printing technology in which ink is transferred by protruding form elements. At the same time, a characteristic bead of paint is visible on the print along the edge of the element and a slight deformation of the paper from the pressure of the printing form. Often letterpress is used to print serial numbers on secure printing products. ^[one]

Dry offset

Tipofset - a type of letterpress printing using an intermediate cylinder. It provides higher print accuracy than with conventional offset printing, preserves the characteristic unevenness of ink distribution as with high printing, but does not leave a characteristic relief mark on paper as with high printing.

Colorless embossing - the relief created on the paper by embossing is clearly combined with the pattern. It looks like embossed strokes of a drawing, which then turn into a colorful drawing.

Protective Graphics

Guilloche - A graphic element consisting of many interwoven elements in increments of 1-2 mm. Guilloche is obtained using special devices (Guilloche machines). An example of a very simple guilloche is a spirograph pattern. The guilloche is used both as a decorative element and as a protective one, since before the advent of computer technology it was difficult to accurately reproduce the guilloche pattern, not knowing the exact mechanical connection of the elements of the machine used to obtain the pattern.

Safety net (also Background grid) - a continuous grid covering the area of ​​paper, consisting of interwoven lines with a pitch of about 1 mm. Often performed using iris printing. It protects the document from erasure, and also makes it difficult to fake - during rasterization and color separation, noticeable artifacts appear in the protective grid.

Microtext is a text with a height of letters up to 200 microns (0.2 mm), usually typed without spaces, visually looking like a continuous line. ^[one]

The constellation of Eurion and the Omron Ring is a repeating pattern of rings with a diameter of about 1 mm designed to combat unprofessional counterfeiting. Manufacturers of printers, copiers, software implement the detection of these graphic elements and block printing when they are detected.

• Hidden image

Hidden moire pattern (Moire Variable Color) - a pattern of colored stripes combined with embossing, creating a rainbow pattern when viewed from an angle.

Combined images - images partially printed on one side, partially on the other side of the sheet. When observing the clearance should ideally combine, as they are printed on printing machines with tight synchronization of the shafts causing the image simultaneously from two sides. When you try to simulate a sign, there are noticeable flaws in the eye in combining the image.

Microperforation - a pattern of holes in a paper made by a laser. When you try to simulate such a pattern with a usual puncture, a relief on paper will inevitably appear.

Holographic elements - holographic printed foil applied to embossed paper, creating the illusion of a three-dimensional three-dimensional image. A holographic element shimmers in different colors when viewed from different angles. Often, holographic elements can be part of a security thread.

Physico-chemical protection

It is based on the introduction of components in the composition of paints that provide special properties, and at the same time are difficult to reproduce or simulate.

Metamer paints are paints that look the same under certain conditions (daylight), but have different colors under a different light (such as IR). The drawing on banknotes is often printed with metamer paints, the drawing on the banknote completely visible in visible light partially disappears when observed in the near infrared range when observed through a currency detector - only parts of the image remain visible.

Magnetic paints - contain ferromagnetic particles, imparting magnetic properties to the pattern, which can be read by special devices, or visually observed using special devices, such as magneto-optical crystals.

Fluorescent inks - glow when irradiated with light of a specific wavelength. Both ordinary phosphors and special anti-Stokes phosphors (special element “I”) can be used, the fluorescence radiation of which is shorter than the wavelength of the exciting radiation.

Color-variable paints (Optically Variable Image - OVI paints) - paints that change color at different viewing angles due to the phenomenon of interference in thin films.

Russia

According to the letter of the Ministry of Finance ,

Protected printing products (PPP) - printing products, including forms of securities, the need for protection of which is provided for by regulatory legal acts of the President of the Russian Federation, all government bodies of the Russian Federation and decisions of legal entities, manufactured using printing, holographic, information, microprocessor and other ways of protecting printed products, preventing the full or partial falsification of these products.

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