Leveraging the capabilities of Xeikon’s Titon dry toner printing, digital metal embellishment from Kurz, and Scribos’ product security expertise, the single-pass label application offers a solution for safeguarding brand value, combatting counterfeiting and grey market trading, as well as increasing consumer loyalty.

“The consequences of counterfeiting are enormous and wide-reaching. Global companies lose billions of euros every year, consumers are at risk from faulty products, and the environment suffers, just to mention a few. These problems can be mitigated by adding unique metallic elements to the printed label,” said Jeroen Van Bauwel, Xeikon director of Solution Design. “Of course, Xeikon already offers variable data for security applications, but this joint development delivers a level of protection with a full-service solution that is truly revolutionary.”

Powered by Xeikon’s X-800 DFE, the application uses Scribos ValiGate technology and SCRIBOS 360 Cloud Platform to offer high-level security and full visibility for brand owners via serialised, protected QR codes and metallic variable elements. Not only does each code have a unique ID, but they also contain a finely printed, sub-pattern acting as advanced copy protection.

“The secondary level of copy protection embedded in these QR codes relies on very intricate details, which can only be achieved with toner digital printing,” Dr Steffen Scheibenstock, head of digital business development at Scribos, said.

The seamless coordination between the Xeikon press and Kurz metallisation module allows for the integration of variable digital metal (VDM) to enhance authentication. After verifying the ValiGate copy protection with a smartphone, the landing page will show a distribution of symbols, resembling a slot machine game. By comparing these symbols on the product with those on the screen, consumers engage in a secure 2-factor authentication (2FA) process.

Scheibenstock explained, “In this case, we printed a varied distribution of birds, each differing in position, shape, number and orientation. This method, embedded within the metallic print layer and unique to every label, offers robust protection against counterfeiting without requiring an app, ensuring security for all consumers.”

The QR codes are supported by the Scribos 360 authentication platform, which provides a wealth of data for statistics and analysis. Customers can also choose from a range of consumer engagement modules, such as cross-selling options, bonus programs, games or competitions, all customised to match their own branding.    

Van Bauwel added, “This doubly encrypted technology also offers an ideal way for brand owners to boost consumer engagement securely, providing endless possibilities for interaction that can increase brand loyalty, as well as an extended track and trace capability to combat fraudulent movement of goods. And because this is a fully digital process, it can easily be used even for quite short runs, such as to protect limited editions or to help small start-up brands tell their customers more about their sustainability commitments.”