New Traffic Light Security Ink from GSI

Gleitsmann Security Inks (GSI) has launched what it terms the ‘world’s first traffic light for banknotes’, in the form of mouve ^GSI, a unique security feature that will also help safeguard security documents such as tax stamps using luminescent colour effects.

Berlin-based GSI has combined its decades of experience in manufacturing security printing inks with the special know-how of its partner Leuchtstoffwerk Breitungen (LWB) from Thuringia, Germany – manufacturers of luminescent materials, special chemicals and unique types of pigments for GSI's security inks. The new security feature required a completely new kind of pigment, which was developed in less than a year.

mouve ^GSI comprises a combination of two UV colours together with a long-lasting durable green afterglow effect, not previously known to the industry. In addition, the patent-pending feature-ink combines well-established UV images with phosphorescence and a moving effect of interchanging colours.

UV security features are nothing new, says GSI, and neither are phosphorescent inks. What is new, however, is the combination of effects under UV light – which show fluid colour transition from red through orange to yellow, and the green afterglow provided by the phosphorescence when the light source is switched off.

The feature can be checked by police officers, retailers, banknote experts and sorting machines using existing tools or sensors.

mouve ^GSI has been designed for use with various printing systems. The first generation is available for intaglio and silkscreen printing on both paper and polymer substrates. Other processes such as offset printing and numbering will follow in the near future, while GSI and LWB are already working on additional product variants of the feature.

Since the new ink is transparent under normal lighting, only developing its properties under UV excitation, it can be incorporated into existing document designs as a ‘sleeper’ feature, so that issuing authorities don’t have to wait until a new design is introduced to start using the feature.

With its combination of machine readable and seemingly fluid colour effects, mouve ^GSI cannot be imitated using commercially available inks or foils, in part because counterfeiters do not have access to the special pigments that are used.

According to GSI, the development of mouve ^GSI will enable it to pursue a new sales strategy. To date, it has focused on its contacts with governmental and commercial banknote printers worldwide, but can now also directly address the central banks and ministries responsible for the selection of security features.

‘Until now we have only had a low profile with these decision-makers. With the dual marketing approach that mouve ^GSI offers, we can and want to change that,’ said Ulrich Walter, GSI’s Managing Director.

‘In addition,’ he continued, ‘mouve ^GSI is explicitly of interest not only to issuers of banknotes, but also to producers of security printed products such as revenue stamps, identity documents or other official documents’.