PFFC - July 2008 - (Page 28)

BRAND SECURITY Security identifiers with a unique sequentially printed number, bar code, and the kind of security print that appears on bank notes—in small sizes and nearly impossible to copy—are other good examples. Such visible evidence of brand authenticity is the retail customer’s “green light.” Now You Don’t! Smart Labels Some advanced techniques in use today take the product security platform one step further. For example, p-s labels on fresh food prepacks can feature a time/temperature indicator, warning the retailer and the shopper However, it is in the invisible spectrum of product authentication devices that the highest levels of security are achieved, and here p-s labels offer outstanding versatility. Because of their multilayer construction, they offer several different surfaces to which a security device can be applied. It can be applied in the inks on the label’s printed surface. It can be applied to the outer surface of the label face, to its underside, or even embedded in it. It can be mixed into the label adhesive or coated above or below it. In addition to the options presented by a label, a security tag can, of course, be applied to the base packaging itself. By using a combination of such devices, manufacturers today are achieving levels of security that otherwise would not be possible. A catalog of the covert options might include two- or three-dimensional customer-exclusive watermarks—nylon fibers of a specific length or color, readable only in ultraviolet (UV) or infrared (IR) light—in the label face paper or film. Metal strips or fragments, which can be highly visible (e.g., iridescent) or invisible to the naked eye, can be embedded in the facestock. Polyester security threads, thermochromic threads, and micro-marked fibers are other possibilities (also see p30 regarding security papers). Solvent-sensitive papers, developed to prevent information being removed with the use of solvent, also are available. They react visibly to any solvent contact. Special iridescent security color stripes—impossible to reproduce by color copier, offset process, or PC printers—can be applied to some paper facestocks to prevent counterfeiting. Using near-IR fluorophores, chemical taggants, or microtaggants (even DNA)—state-of-the-art covert product identifiers accessible only via special scanners—also can be built in to the label construction (also see p34 regarding taggants). There is even a tagging system that is invisible to forensic trace methods. Track-and-trace technologies, such as RFID, are another pathway currently offering a powerful platform of protection for products as they move through the supply chain. The p-s label is their central enabler in packaging applications. 28 | JULY 2008 The Role of Print Consumables volve formal supply chain partnerships that could include raw materials suppliers, p-s laminators, and ink manufacturers, as well as printers and press systems. Depending on the product and its security history, a unique solution to meet all the manufacturer’s deliverables can be constructed, its complexity only limited by the financial funds available and the seriousness of the security threat to the product concerned. Getting Started So how do brand owners get started on this extremely long, drawn out pathway to protecting their products? At the practical implementation level, specialist companies that are members of organizations such as the Brand Protection Alliance and the Brand Protection Council can find expert advice on the most advanced technologies for both brand owners and package printers. But that is nothing like the whole story. Devising a security system that will work in a specific situation demands in-depth analysis and an intense understanding of the market for the product in question and its distribution channels. Risk management consultants and training companies, specialists in verification and investigation techniques, and market analysts all have roles to play in building an effective protection platform that can help manufacturers maintain the integrity of their brands that include high-value electronics, pharmaceuticals, software, and top-of-the-range perfumery, and many other goods. Such expert professional input in terms of an all-embracing evaluation of the product and its possible security issues is an essential preliminary to examining the available solutions, choosing the right route(s), and educating the people if the product has at any time strayed outside its preferred temperature storage range. in the handling chain so the desired results Other freshness indicators can signal to the can be achieved—and verified—on a solid, sustainable basis. cashier at the supermarket checkout that a Package printers interested in expanding product should not be sold because it is out their product offerings into the realm of of specification in terms of sell-by date or storage conditions. Special inks applied, for security print as a speciality—or interested in supporting their existing client base with the instance, to a bottle of white wine, can indicate by changing color when the contents extra dimension of security print—certainly have plenty of options to offer. A broad base are chilled correctly for drinking. of professional advisers and manufacturers of Finally, retail pilferage—shoplifting—is reduced by devices based on packaging and print substrates and consumables are availlabels. Electro-magnetic paper and film label able to support them in their efforts. stocks are good examples for use in electronCorey M. Reardon is ic article surveillance systems that alert the president and CEO security gates at the retail exit if they have of AWA Alexander not been past the checkout scanner. Customer-Engineered Solutions Partnering with substrates in security applications are print consumables, which offer many possibilities for layered overt and covert security devices. Security inks for converting by traditional print processes vary from thermochromic and chemichromatic to magnetic, holographic, UV fluorescent, coin reactive, erasable, and bleach indicators. Inks also can carry microtaggants. UV/IR readable inks and inks that only reveal their iridescence when a fraudster tries to photocopy them—all of which are invisible to the naked eye without a special reader—are available as well. There are even specific security solutions for today’s digital inkjet processes and security thermal transfer ribbons. Banknote print can support and enhance the efficacy of ink-based security. Stamping foils can contribute enormously. There are invisible UV fluorescent qualities, diffraction foils, two- and three-dimensional holograms, dot matrix holograms, and magnetic foils. Of course, multilayer security labeling solutions must be customer-unique and may in- Watson Assoc., Amsterdam, Netherlands, a market research firm specializing in packaging. Contact him at +31 (20) 676 20 69 or visit www.awa-bv.com. WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM http://www.awa-bv.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - July 2008

PFFC - July 2008 Contents First Glance Calendar of Events From the Editor Web Lines Process Management News Clips Narrow Web & Label Reporter Narrow Web & Label What’s New Products Cover: Special Report Start with Security 2008 TAPPI PLACE Conference Printing Partnerships Paper’s Pledge Edible Markers Flexography Exclusive Research: Critical Trends What’s New Products Services Directory Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index Experience Speaks

PFFC - July 2008

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