A method of illumating an item is disclosed. The method includes applying adhesive to the item, interspersing a taggant in the adhesive, illuminating the item with an excitation signal, sensing luminescence emitted by the taggant in response to illumination by the excitation signal, and determining the authenticity of the item based on the sensed emitted luminescence. The item can include any item benefited by authentication, and can include a postage stamp. A method of customizing an item is disclosed. This can include the steps of preparing a substrate, applying a security feature to the substrate, printing non-customized information on the substrate, receiving image information, and printing the image information on the substrate.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a marking in a coating on a substrate or on the surface of a molding, where the marking represents a negative marking within a luminescent surrounding field and is generated using a laser beam, to a marking produced with the aid of the method, and to the use thereof, in particular for the labeling of products.

The present invention is based on a method for marking products using two or more ink formulations, each containing one or more photoluminescent dyes emitting radiation in the range of 380-3000 nm under photon excitation and distinguished by different fluorescence lifetimes, for storing information in serialization and/or track & trace systems and for document security.

The present invention relates to a method (100) for personalizing a document, said document comprising a support comprising printed patterns (201, 202), wherein said method (100) comprises generating at least a laser pulse on said support for carbonizing at least a printed pattern.

There is described a printed security feature (1) provided onto a printable substrate, which security feature includes a printed area (100) consisting of a multiplicity of adjacent rectilinear and/or curvilinear elements (110, 120) printed with a given spatial frequency. The rectilinear and/or curvilinear elements are printed with at least first and second inks which exhibit the same or substantially the same optical appearance when illuminated with visible white light, such that the security feature produces a first graphical representation when illuminated with visible white light, at least the first ink being an ink which responds to non-visible light excitation by producing a characteristic optical response differentiating the first ink from the second ink. The security feature produces a second graphical representation when illuminated with non-visible light, which second graphical representation exhibits a distinctive two-dimensional graphic element (B) which is revealed only when the security feature is illuminated with non-visible light. Inside boundaries (160) of the distinctive two-dimensional graphic element, a part (P3) of the rectilinear and/or curvilinear elements is printed with a combination of the first and second inks, the rectilinear and/or curvilinear elements being subdivided, within that part, into first and second juxtaposed sections (110a, 110b, 120a, 120b) which are respectively printed with the first ink and with the second ink. Outside the boundaries of the distinctive two-dimensional graphic element, portions (P1, P2) of the rectilinear and/or curvilinear elements are printed with only one of the at least first and second inks. The at least first and second inks are printed in register one with respect to the other so that the boundaries of the distinctive two-dimensional graphic element are not visible when the security feature is illuminated with visible white light and the distinctive two-dimensional graphic element only becomes visible when the security feature is illuminated with non-visible light.

A composition for the marking of assets comprising: a base material; and two or more encoding compounds
wherein each of the two or more encoding compounds are provided at measurable concentrations.

The present invention relates to fluorescent compounds with large Stokes-shift and a process for their preparation. More particularly, the present invention relates to fluorescent compounds that are colorless. The compounds may be used in compositions for inks, paints and plastics, especially in a wide variety of printing systems and are particularly well-suited for security applications.

Disclosed is a method for the production of a multi-layer data medium by the hot rolling under pressure of a plurality of superimposed layers (12) having security inscriptions. Marking rolling is carried out on at least one layer to be marked (12a) covered with a marking film (20, 21) bearing inscriptions (22) in vitrophany applied in contact with the layer to be marked, then the marking film is separated from the layer to be marked, the latter having the security inscriptions.

Disclosed are fluorescent compounds with large Stokes-shift and a process for their preparation. More particularly, disclosed are fluorescent compounds that are colorless. The compounds can be used in compositions for inks, paints and plastics, especially in a wide variety of printing systems and are particularly well-suited for security applications.

A plastic product includes a printing field, wherein an imprint is applied to the printing field by a digital direct printing process, wherein UV ink or UV color is used as the printing medium. A method for applying an imprint to a plastic product includes: (a) providing the plastic product having a plastic body and a printing field provided on the plastic body, and (b) printing a printed image by direct application of a printing agent in a digital printing process, wherein the printing agent is a fluorescent printing agent.