• Ciba® XYMARA™ METASHEEN® "11 Series"

Taking Security from Effects – an interview with Dieter Hermann of Printcolor

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What is the relevance of technological advances in the decorative visual effects area?

In the graphic field, the designed product should ultimately visually appeal to the end consumer. That’s difficult because what is feasible is well known on the market and the ways towards differentiation are narrow. What can create interest are interactive effects. There, the consumer is playfully motivated to do something to the object; to scratch the surface to free a scent, to make it glow in the dark, to see it change color whether one looks at it during the day or at night, to make it change color at a touch. These are interactive effects. Such things are interesting and raise the interest of the user. The demand between eye-catcher, decoration and interactivity is the mix that accounts for special effects in the graphic industry.

From your point of view, what are the trends of the industry, for trademark protection and security?

I think that the first area, the area of visual discrimination, is now worn out, meaning that we can count on little novelty in this sector. Of course techniques are being refined and obviously advanced in the areas of interference, or the use of pearlescence, or colors which are more brilliant, making appearance more polychromatic. However, we can’t expect more that’s new.

The second area, the area of detectable security effects will certainly grow. This includes media reflecting or absorbing in the infrared, “hidden” colors, or effects detectable only through specific means. This is where the trend of trademark security will go, in our opinion.

In case something new does come out, would you say that it would more likely be generated by combination, by how one uses different effects together?

Exactly. At the moment there are two fields being developed. One is a laser technique in which we work with special laser systems. The other story is “DNA” technology. These are biochemical methods that represent irreproducible effects.

What does this mean?

To be more precise, this means that we have a set of individually produced “DNA” chains which we can combine with each other to elaborate billions of distinct options. Doing so, we can obtain a falsification security of 1 to 500 billion.

So this is a third level of security: where the material must be analysed …

Yes, this process of combination is not far different from DNA: from other levels of detection you can already tell if luminescence is built in, or infra-red absorption effect-elements, and so forth. However, if one wishes to investigate it to the end, one can still do the complete “DNA analysis” of the complete security feature, to find all the hidden effects. Of course, we would individualize each security effect for each manufacturer.

Your books are worldwide trend books. From your experience, what are the differences between regional and global trends? Do you see substantial differences?

Yes, there are by all means great differences. Two questions arise: one about quality and one about quantity. Quantity is a price decision, whereby I want to have a best possible effect at a lowest possible price. Quality is if I want to have a unique, awesome effect and also am ready to spend more on it. Looking at the central European area, the demand is for quality. Looking at North America, quantity is exclusively predominant, and the cost factor is in the front. This is true for materials and effects. Meanwhile, in Asia, it is all exclusively about technologically demanding systems.

I understand you use Ciba^® XYMARA™ METASHEEN^® effect pigments in certain of your formulations …

Metasheen is very interesting, especially for the mobile phone industry. We are the supplier of the best mirror ink currently on the market and the first manufacturer of tampon-printable mirror inks. Previously, this was only possible in screen printing or flexography. This is very important for the electronic industry’s formed components. Metasheen remains the cutting-edge material in the mirror ink area.

Why do you use Metasheen?

The mirror effect, simply, is the best one can produce. As a nice example, we’re using it for the new publicity campaign and packaging for a major Swiss brand of chocolate. So you have a Swiss brand using Swiss ink technology inks! And Metasheen, too, is a product from a Swiss company.

So it’s also ideological!

Absolutely! It is a clear value-attribute everywhere: “Made in Switzerland”! We have cases where we have been able to acquire a customer only because we can certify that we use nothing but European, Japanese or American raw materials.

Is Metasheen the only Ciba product you use?

No, we use quite a lot of other of Ciba pigments, and we do so because of their well-controlled specifications; especially purity, which is important, for example, for the medical sector.

Dieter Hermann is CEO of Printcolor Screen AG

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