Japanese print, packaging, hologram and print equipment giant Toppan Printing Co has moved in to mass production with the Reversegram, which it describes as 'an ultra-high performance security label with which anyone can easily determine authenticity by simply holding a "verification filter" over the label.' This new product has been certified for use in PR China as a brand protection authentication technology.

In January, 2009, Holography News reported that Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. had announced two products targeted at the brand protection market. These were the optically variable Crystagram®, originated using electron beam technology, and Pastelique® (see HN Vol 15, No 1, 2009). With the Reversegram, and its certification in China, it is clear that Toppan is making a substantial push in to the brand protection field with optically variable products.

The technology behind the Reversegram appears to be the Crystagram® in combination with liquid crystals. (NB Crystagram is the name Toppan has used since 1994 for its e-beam originated security holograms). It is called the Reversegram because any visible text can be made to flip from positive to negative using the verification filter. The combination gives overt and covert effects which can be appreciated by eye (level 1) or by use of a hand held verifier (level 2). When the verification filter is held over the Reversegram, high-definition text and images appear. If the filter is rotated the black and white of the text and images are reversed.

©2010 Toppan Printing Co Ltd

As impressive as the technology is the fact that Toppan have taken the product through the lengthy and thorough scrutiny required to comply with China's Measures on Supervision and Administration of Product Anti-Counterfeiting, which requires prior certification by the Chinese authorities of counterfeit countermeasure products to be used in China. This certification requires the product to be submitted for examination by the Chinese Quality Supervisory Bureau and for any proprietary techniques required in its manufacture to be revealed. As certification is required for authentication elements on imported products, such certification makes the Toppan technology highly attractive to brand owners wishing to sell their products in China or elsewhere without fear of the security being compromised.

Further evidence of Toppan's commitment to the product protection market is its Brand Management Service, providing integrated support for companies' anti-counterfeit countermeasures, from research on counterfeit and imitation items to support for the introduction of anti-counterfeit technologies, and impact assessment. It covers strategy formulation, research on actual conditions, analysis of counterfeit goods, introduction and operation of anti-counterfeit media, and impact assessment. Toppan Printing offers a varied service menu in collaboration with TÜV Rheinland Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of the German certification organization.

Combining this service with the high-security of the Reversegram, will provide full support for countermeasures against counterfeiting in terms of both software and hardware.

The Reversegram is being promoted as an authenticating label for brand protection of items such as precision equipment, automobile parts, pharmaceutical goods and medical equipment, cosmetics, accessories, printer toner, and sports goods. Labels with Reversegram technology are being offered at a unit price from ¥5.0 (€¢4/$¢6) for orders in lots of 1 million. The verification filter is ¥200 each in lots of 1000 units.

Contact: Mr Takuya Onuki, email: tonuki@ta.toppan.com