UXBRIDGE -- Cautious merchants know that authentic Euro currency in denominations larger than €5 contains an embedded strip that glows when they hold it under an ultraviolet light. Notes lacking the thread can be identified - and rejected - as counterfeit money. Now scientists at Xerox have developed a new technology that makes it easier to add that same level of security to any document from a personal cheque to a birth certificate using the same printers found in most print shops.The innovative security printing method uses a special combination of toners - the "dry ink" used in xerographic printers - to create the secure imprint. Prints from a four-colour printer selectively expose the fluorescent properties found within white paper, making it possible to embed personalised printing, hidden security marks or codes that are only visible when exposed to ultraviolet light.
"What amazes people about the new technology is that we can create fluorescent writing on a digital printer without using fluorescent ink," said Reiner Eschbach, a research fellow in the Xerox Innovation Group and with principal colour scientist, Raja Bala, the co-inventor of the patented process. "That means a four-colour digital printer can print everything it normally would, and it can simultaneously individualise a document with a fluorescent identifier."
The new patented technology belongs to a portfolio of technologies Xerox is developing that build security into documents based on a digital printer's ability to make any element on the page - lines, text, images - unique to the recipient.
The fluorescent printing is one of several specialty imaging technologies Xerox scientists have developed making it easier for a suspicious recipient to tell which cheques, certificates, or other printed materials are authentic. The new specialty technology is part of the Xerox FreeFlow Variable Information Suite 5.0, software aimed at commercial printers and large enterprises like banks and insurance companies that produce personalised documents.
"Just as Euro currency has a fluorescent thread to authenticate it, I can imagine a time when your cheques will have your signature printed in a fluorescent stripe," said Eschbach. "A merchant could easily compare the fluorescent signature with the actual one to validate the cheque."
The Xerox technology resulted from a "Eureka" moment of inspiration. Eschbach's group had been involved in the creation of Xerox's other specialty imaging technologies such as GlossMark imaging, which uses the differential gloss in toner to print a hologram-like image, and he wondered if there was a way to make fluorescent marks with conventional toner.
They realised that paper manufacturers put fluorescent brightening agents in paper to make it appear "white." Eschbach and Bala discovered certain combinations of toner that would selectively allow the paper's fluorescence to shine through when exposed to ultraviolet light. Based on this insight, Xerox developed a technology that uses the contrast to "write" fluorescent letters and numbers.
Because the fluorescent marks can be made without fluorescent ink, there are no extra costs for special inks or for additional steps required during printing. Users can embed the security feature as a normal part of their printing process. The fluorescent writing technology is available on Xerox colour production printers.
Xerox Innovation At Work
Xerox Corporation conducts work in colour science, computing, digital imaging, work practices, electromechanical systems, novel materials, and other disciplines connected to Xerox's expertise in printing and document management. The company consistently builds its inventions into business by embedding them in Xerox products and solutions, using them as the foundation for new business, or licensing or selling them to other entities. For more information, visit www.xerox.com/innovation.
About Xerox
Xerox markets a comprehensive range of Xerox products, solutions and services, as well as associated supplies and software. Its offerings are focused on three main areas: offices from small to large, production print and graphic arts environments, and services that include consulting, systems design and management, and document outsourcing.
Xerox supports The New Business Of Printing strategy by providing the largest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital products, solutions and services in the industry, integrated streamlined and efficient workflow solutions and a suite of business development tools that help customers to achieve sustained long-term growth. In the changing world of print, these three elements enable customers to improve business performance and productivity to ensure they uncover more ways to profit.
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Media Contacts:
Robert Corbishley, Xerox Europe, tel: +44 (0) 1895 843 239, email: robert.corbishley@xerox.com
Laura Lynne, Trimedia Harrison Cowley (on behalf of Xerox UK), tel: +44 (0)207 400 5584, email: Xerox@trimediahc.com
