A security agent that is sensitive to chemicals like solvents and bleach that are commonly used to remove and subsequently alter print. When attacked, sensitized surfaces may run, bleed, stain, reveal hidden text, change color or even disappear to show evidence of tampering. Original document Tampered document
Fibers are randomly dispersed in paper. Visible fibers differ in color from the base material. Invisible fibers become visible when excited by a specialized light source like UV or IR.
Similar to fibers, planchettes are added directly to paper. Planchettes are normally produced in a geometric shape, and can be a carrier for such things as Taggants. Planchettes can also be simulated by printing directly on the substrate.
A thin ribbon that is threaded or woven through paper. The public is likely most familiar with the use of threads in currency. Threads may also be taggant carriers and fluoresce when excited.
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper or plastic cards that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), created by thickness and density variations in the paper or plastic cards. There are two main types of watermark, the…
A transparent section of a paper or polymer substrate that enables light to pass through. The window can be used as a platform for additional security features such as an DOVID.
Polycarbonate is a type of thermoplastic with excellent thermoforming properties. Polycarbonate is employed for a variety of purposes, including the manufacture of indestructible eye glasses and protecting the surfaces of DVDs. In terms of identity documents, polycarbonate makes it possible to incorporate a significant number of additional security features, including Changeable Laser Images (CLIs); clear-windows-transparent…
Polyethylene terephthalate (sometimes written poly(ethylene terephthalate)), commonly abbreviated PET, is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber.
Wood fibers are cleaned with water, then sent to the pulping process where more water is used to separate the fibers from one another. Spreading the fibers out along a moving belt of wire mesh, heat and pressure slowly removes the water. The final dry product is rolled, or calendared, and then cut to size…
A printed pattern or symbol using inks with no tonal value (usually off-white, white opaque, transparent, reflective or oil-based inks) that only appears when the substrate is tilted to normal light and/or transmitted light.
