The invention specifies an apparatus for applying a film (7) to a substrate (2) by lamination. This apparatus has a heating device (12, 19), which makes it possible for different regions of the film (7) and/or the substrate (2) to be exposed specifically to different temperatures. It is thus also possible to process substrates or films which contain temperature-sensitive elements, e.g. security elements based on bacteriorhodopsin. For this purpose, the heating device comprises a plurality of heating elements (19) which can be activated separately, and therefore different regions of a heating surface (12) can be subjected specifically to different levels of heating power. In order to compensate for irregularities on the surface of the substrate or of the film, the apparatus may have a flexible mating surface (21) which is arranged opposite the healing surface and can be subjected to pressure pneumatically by way of a pressure chamber (22). Overall, this makes it possible to produce high-security documents with temperature-sensitive security features, the properties of which meet extremely stringent requirements relating to prevention of manipulation and forgery.

A post-processing apparatus comprises a first processing tray on which fed paper is placed; a paper binding section configured to bind a plurality of sheets of paper stacked on the first processing tray into one bundle; a second processing tray which a plurality of paper bundles bound on the first processing tray are sequentially conveyed to and placed on; a paper bundle gluing section configured to coat glue at a given position of the top surface of a first paper bundle placed on the second processing tray before a second paper bundle is placed on the first paper bundle; a pressing section configured to press and bind the first paper bundle with the second paper bundle between which glue is coated; and a control section configured to control the timing for conveying the second paper bundle onto the first paper bundle after the glue is coated.

Composite cards formed in accordance with the invention include a security layer comprising a hologram or diffraction grating formed at or in the center, or core layer of the card. The hologram may be formed by embossing a designated area of the core layer with a diffraction pattern and depositing a thin layer of metal on the embossed layer. Additional layers may be selectively and symmetrically attached to the top and bottom surfaces of the core layer. A laser may be used to remove selected portions of the metal formed on the embossed layer, at selected stages of forming the card, to impart a selected pattern or information to the holographic region. The cards may be lasered when the cards being processed are attached to, and part of, a large sheet of material, or after the sheets are die-cut into cards.

Composite cards embodying the invention include a clear plastic core layer with an embossed metalized pattern formed on top of, or within, the core layer. A selected number N of clear plastic layers are formed on top of the embossed metalized pattern and a like number N of clear plastic buffer layers are formed below the clear plastic core layer. The metalized pattern is centrally located with layers above and below the pattern to protect the pattern and inhibit the unauthorized alteration of the embossed metalized pattern while enabling the embossed metalized pattern to be visible. Selected ones of the N clear plastic layers include selected information and a window is formed within the pattern to enable the selected information to be seen.

A game token by which a plurality of RFID tags embedded in a plurality of the game tokens stacked each other can be read in a relatively stable manner is provided. A game token is provided with a security part and a receiving part that receives the security part. The security part has a shape with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the receiving part, a structure with a plurality of plastic layers laminated together, an RFID tag, and a visible print layer indicating a type or ID of the game token. The receiving part has a surface. The surface of the receiving part has a recessed portion for receiving the security part, and the depth of the recessed portion is 25% or more of the thickness of the game token.

Composite cards formed in accordance with the invention include a security layer comprising a hologram or diffraction grating formed at, or in, the center, or core layer, of the card. The hologram may be formed by embossing a designated area of the core layer with a diffraction pattern and depositing a thin layer of metal on the embossed layer. Additional layers may be selectively and symmetrically attached to the top and bottom surfaces of the core layer. A laser may be used to remove selected portions of the metal formed on the embossed layer, at selected stages of forming the card, to impart a selected pattern or information to the holographic region. The cards may be lasered when the cards being processed are attached to, and part of, a large sheet of material, whereby the lasering of all the cards on the sheet can be done at the same time and relatively inexpensively. Alternatively, each card may be individually lasered to produce desired alpha numeric information, bar codes information or a graphic image, after the sheets are die-cut into cards.

Matte substrates comprising a water based coating composition and a base substrate. The water based coating composition comprises either no or only small amounts of mineral filler, refractory filler and/or organic filler and no other matting agents. The water based coating composition is typically applied to the base substrate at a coating weight of less than or equal to about 3 dry pounds of the water based coating composition per about 3,000 square feet of the base substrate. The matte substrate generally has a 60 gloss less than about 20.

Improved wax paper with thermal transfer stamps may allow for more effectively transferring detailed stamps onto objects. The wax paper may include a paper layer having a porosity of at least 3000 Gurley seconds and a wax layer with a thickness of at most six pounds per ream of the paper. Stamps may be printed face down on the wax layer, with the underside of the ink coated with heat-activated adhesive. By pressing the converted wax paper onto an object, applying a heating element to the paper side of the converted wax paper, and removing the object from contact with the converted wax paper, a stamp may more completely and reliably transfer onto the object with levels of detail not previously achievable, while cutting down on negative effects of wax bleed and paper tears.

A game token by which a plurality of RFID tags embedded in a plurality of the game tokens stacked each other can be read in a relatively stable manner is provided. A game token is provided with a security part and a receiving part that receives the security part. The security part has a shape with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the receiving part, a structure with a plurality of plastic layers laminated together, an RFID tag, and a visible print layer indicating a type or ID of the game token. The receiving part has a surface. The surface of the receiving part has a recessed portion for receiving the security part, and the depth of the recessed portion is 25% or more of the thickness of the game token.

A laminate is provided and includes a base material; an intermediate layer provided on the base material and having an accommodation part; a recording medium provided in the accommodation part; and an overlay layer provided on the intermediate layer. The accommodation part is provided in a part of a plane of the intermediate layer, and the accommodation part is a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the intermediate layer or a recess recessed in the thickness direction of the intermediate layer. The recording medium includes a color development layer containing: a coloring compound having an electron donating property; a developer having an electron accepting property; and a matrix resin. The base material, the intermediate layer, and the overlay layer contain the same type of resin material.