The invention relates to securing of an article against forgery and falsifying of its associated data, and particularly of data relating to its belonging to a specific batch of articles, while allowing offline or online checking of the authenticity of a secured article and conformity of its associated data with respect to that of a genuine article.

A substrate is printed with front side and back side markings. The front side when viewed with reflected light includes: a first marking printed with a first gradient of two colors; a second marking printed with a second gradient of two colors; a first symbol printed with a third gradient of two colors; a second symbol printed with a fourth gradient of two colors; a third symbol printed with a fifth gradient of two colors; and a fourth symbol printed with a sixth gradient of two colors. The back side when viewed with reflected light includes: a third marking printed with the fourth gradient; a fourth marking printed with the third gradient; a fifth symbol printed with the second gradient; a sixth symbol printed with the first gradient; a seventh symbol printed with the sixth gradient; and an eighth symbol printed with the fifth gradient.

A substrate is printed with front side and back side markings. The front side when viewed with reflected light includes: a first marking printed with a first gradient of two colors; a second marking printed with a second gradient of two colors; a first symbol printed with a third gradient of two colors; a second symbol printed with a fourth gradient of two colors; a third symbol printed with a fifth gradient of two colors; and a fourth symbol printed with a sixth gradient of two colors. The back side when viewed with reflected light includes: a third marking printed with the fourth gradient; a fourth marking printed with the third gradient; a fifth symbol printed with the second gradient; a sixth symbol printed with the first gradient; a seventh symbol printed with the sixth gradient; and an eighth symbol printed with the fifth gradient.

The present invention relates to a security medium in which a color code for security information is printed on the surface of the medium using magnetically color tunable photonic crystal ink (MTX), wherein the color code is a color, pattern, image and/or data printed by the magnetic color variable ink, the color, pattern, image, and/or data are changed and appear, according to an observation angle, and the color, pattern, image and/or data appearing at at least one specific observation angle is information obtained by decoding the color code.

The present invention relates to a security medium in which a color code for security information is printed on the surface of the medium using magnetically color tunable photonic crystal ink (MTX), wherein the color code is a color, pattern, image and/or data printed by the magnetic color variable ink, the color, pattern, image, and/or data are changed and appear, according to an observation angle, and the color, pattern, image and/or data appearing at at least one specific observation angle is information obtained by decoding the color code.

A method for printing a printing designed as a color-tilting surface onto an object surface includes a) printing a relief structure having strip-shaped webs onto the object surface, the strip-shaped webs being spaced apart and raised relative to the surface and each having first and second side flanks, and b) conformal printing of a pattern with first color strips parallel to but laterally offset from the webs. As a result, the first color strips more strongly determine color, brightness and/or another visual, optical or wavelength-related property viewed obliquely from the first side flanks than viewed obliquely from the second side flanks. At least in step b) a digital printing technique carries out the printing to permit variable predetermination of at least the first color strip dimensions, positions and/or contours. A colored isotropic printing ink and/or printing compound is used as the printing ink and/or printing compound.

A method of marking an article for authentication, the comprising the steps of applying an identification mark to an article, said mark comprising an array of varying sized markings, where the combination of the shape, the spatial distribution and the varying sizes of the markings imparts a distinctiveness to the identification mark recording the identification mark in a database and associating information relating to the article with the identification mark in the database, wherein comparison of the identification mark on the article and the database enables the identification mark to be associated with the information relating to the article on the database.

A method for producing a multi-layer body, in particular a security element, in which a partial first layer or partial first layer system is produced on a substrate, wherein the partial first layer or partial first layer system is present in a first partial area and not in a second partial area. Subsequently, a partial second layer or partial second layer system is produced, wherein the partial second layer or partial second layer system is present in a third partial area and not in a fourth partial area, and wherein the third partial area overlaps with the first and second partial areas. Finally, the partial first layer or partial first layer system is structured as a mask using the partial second layer or partial second layer system.

A method for producing a multi-layer body, in particular a security element, in which a partial first layer or partial first layer system is produced on a substrate, wherein the partial first layer or partial first layer system is present in a first partial area and not in a second partial area. Subsequently, a partial second layer or partial second layer system is produced, wherein the partial second layer or partial second layer system is present in a third partial area and not in a fourth partial area, and wherein the third partial area overlaps with the first and second partial areas. Finally, the partial first layer or partial first layer system is structured as a mask using the partial second layer or partial second layer system.

A printable electronic document is received into a computerized device. The printable document contains original markings that can be printed on print media to produce a printed document. However, before printing, a computerized device adds first hidden markings to the printable electronic document. Such first hidden markings have a first vector graphic size. Further, the computerized device removes a pattern from the first hidden markings in the printable electronic document and adds (only to the removed pattern in the printable electronic document) second hidden markings that have the same vector graphic size as, but are out of phase with, the first hidden markings. Also, the computerized device adds geometrically shaped distraction markings to the printable electronic document. The geometrically shaped distraction markings have a second vector graphic size that is much larger than the first vector graphic size of the first and second hidden markings.