How to add effective security features to checks and other documents

By Michael Cornnell

What’s new with checks and security printing?

Larry Willman, senior product manager for Wilmer, Dayton, Ohio, and Roger Buck, marketing director for The Flesh Company, St. Louis, shared some new check and security trends for 2014.

“I have seen more and more laser check programs over the last several years utilizing thermochromic (heat sensitive) ink in their programs,” Willman said. “This feature can be found on the front of the check or the back in the endorsement area. Run your finger over it and the heat from your finger will cause it to vanish. Let go, and it comes back. Tellers and bank officials can examine very easily.”

Buck mentioned other new security developments, related to adaptations brought on to combat more sophisticated criminals. “Most people are very familiar with traditional security features such as VOID pantos, bleed-through inks and micro printing,” said Buck. “However, today’s criminal has access to technologies that can overcome these. Papers using chemical stain features are very common, but again, counterfeiters are using technology to create fakes, not just alter an existing version. That means higher end solutions such as custom true watermarks, threading or taggants may be required,” he explained.

Document security is no joke. Forgers and counterfeiters grow more sophisticated every day, and if your document security can't keep up, you could lose out on business. While staying up on the newest security features and counterfeiting methods is important, so too is enacting a thorough and effective process for adding features in the first place. Below, some of the industry's top security experts explain the best ways to add security to your documents.

Perform a risk analysis

One of the first steps in undertaking a security printing job is figuring out what level of security is needed on the document. Roger Buck, marketing director for The Flesh Company, St. Louis, explained this determination can be made by doing a "risk analysis survey" with all of a client's employees that will be dealing with the document or affected by fraud against it. The survey will gather each relevant employee's input, giving you a good idea of how much and what kinds of security features will be needed on the document.

What questions you put on the survey are up to you, but in the example provided in the Flesh Company whitepaper "Risk Analysis in Document Security: Assessing and Defending Against Potential Threats," the questions cover topics such as, "What types of document security or counterfeit attacks, if any, have you seen against your company's products or services?" and, "What happens to your department when a document security or counterfeit attack occurs?" The example survey in the white paper is about 75 questions long, though it is divided by department (sales, legal, etc.) so the actual number of questions any one person would be answering is closer to 35.

The full whitepaper can be found at www.fleshco.com/sales-and-support/whitepapers.php. Besides the sample survey, the whitepaper contains instructions and tips on conducting the survey, such as:

What’s in the future?

John LaBrant, regional sales director, value document inks for SICPA Securink Corp., Springfield, Va. and Roger Buck, marketing director for The Flesh Company, St. Louis, offered some predictions on what to expect in the future of document security.

“We anticipate the continued need for material-based security, complemented by demand for information-based security technology,” LaBrant said. “As counterfeiters become adept at replicating document security features, printers will need to look to new high-security features, including color-shifting inks and dual-wavelength fluorescents. Color-shifting inks are used for high-security printing applications and produce an obvious two-color shift visible when documents are viewed at different angles,” he explained. “While normal UV fluorescent inks have been used for years in checks and other documents, use of dual-wave inks are now being considered due to the added protection offered. Dual UV invisible fluorescent ink fluoresces one color under short wavelength UV (250nm) and another color under long wavelength UV (360nm), offering two different authentication features.”

Buck predicted security feature growth in consumer and packaged products. “Security in the U.S. has been stalled for many years,” Buck said. “Fraud continues to occur in checks, money orders, titles, birth certificates and more. In the more recent years, ID theft and brand theft has pushed security to the front of the customers need list,” he said. “Brand theft alone costs the U.S. billions each year, so you will see more security in packaging, product marking and labeling.” He noted that much of this new security will be for authentication in the supply chain, and also in event tickets and other access documents. “You may see some of these features appear in lab report documents for drug or DNA testing,” he added. “Any document that, if copied or altered, provides value, is a target for counterfeiting. This is why a risk analysis process is so critical.”

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