Pixels fox counterfeiters

Citation

(2003), "Pixels fox counterfeiters", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 32 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2003.12932bab.015

Pixels fox counterfeiters

Pixels fox counterfeiters

Belgian inkjet digital colour press maker, Dotrix and Swiss security firm, AlpVision have launched a digital watermarking system to prevent counterfeiting.

The system uses AlpVision’s patented Cryptoglyph™ technology designed to be used in conjunction with the Dot Factory high speed inkjet digital colour press, produced by Dotrix.

Users can print encoded data in pixels invisible to the naked eye on to materials ranging from very thin films and foils to paper and board. The digital watermark containing the encoded information looks like the grain of paper.

With no effect on the design of the document, the technology allows greater page coverage and is tougher for counterfeiters to decipher or copy.

Unlike traditional digital watermarks, Cryptoglyphs™ can be overprinted on any underlying graphical design, including standard white paper.

The system is user-friendly and does not require expensive inks or special papers, but combined with other security materials the end result could provide even tougher brand protection.

Jan van Laethem at Dotrix says, “The beauty of this system is the simplicity and low cost. The changes all happen at the software end, so there is no expensive adjustment to the printing process.”

The data is easily retrieved with a standard digital scanner and a dedicated software application. The system uses mathematical security to encrypt the data and each user has their own secret key composed of 128 bits.