GB2026945A

GB2026945A - Reproduction-resistant documents

Info

Publication number: GB2026945A
Application number: GB7920383A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: BUSSY TRAPMAN DRUKKERIJEN
Current assignee: BUSSY TRAPMAN DRUKKERIJEN
Priority date: 1978-06-12
Filing date: 1979-06-12
Publication date: 1980-02-13
Also published as: DK243879A; DE2825753A1; FR2428531A1

Abstract

A reproduction resistant printing base, in particular for valuable papers, such as shares, bonds and air tickets, comprises a carrier printed with a finely-nuanced low-contrast design on a uniform background, the component parts of which design in part have substantially the same orientation and configuration, and in part form at least one area having a different orientation, in which area the component parts have the same orientation and configuration among themselves. A printing base for an air ticket may be printed with closely spaced parallel lines in a pastel colour on a white background. The word VOID is printed with the lines at 90 DEG to the lines on the major portion of the base and a band is printed with the lines at 45 DEG to the lines on the other portions. The printing base appears to the human eye as a uniform background but when copied on a colour copier the word VOID and the band appear lighter than the remainder and the line pattern is clearly perceptible.

Description

SPECIFICATION Printing base, in particular for valuable papers This invention relates to a printing base, in particu lar for valuable papers such as shares, bonds and air tickets.

For valuable documents, such as securities, a colored, or at least partly colored base, which may or may not be provided with a finely-nuanced design, if often selected for inhibiting and preventing falsification by means of copying and the like. Meanwhile, however, developments in the field of copying apparatus have advanced to the point where rather faithful copies can be made of colored originals too.

Indeed, the fear is justified that, as such color copies are becoming more generally available, this possibility will be used for falsifying valuable papers by means of copying.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing base of such composition that it is instantly clear whether the valuable paper shown is the origi nal or a copy thereof.

According to the present invention, there is provided a printing base, in particularforvaluable papers, such as shares, bonds and air tickets, which comprises a carrier printed with finely-nuanced low-contrast design on a uniform background, the component parts of which design, on the one hand, have substantially the same orientation and configuration, and on the other hand form at least one area having a different orientation, in which area the component parts have, in turn, however, the same configuration and orientation among themselves.

A finely-nuanced low-contrast design as used herein means one in which the component parts are so fine and so closely spaced together that, in correlation with a low contrast between said component parts and said background, on the original, and to the human eye, it will blend with its uniform background so as to be no longer perceived as a separate design. The area of different orientation, too, will not be perceived as such, owing to this effect, but also form part of a base which to the naked eye is substantially uniform. If, however, such a printing base is copied, clearly visible contrasts will be formed between the area of the main orientation and an area of different orientation. Thus one glance will suffice to see whether a paper is an original or a copy.This advantage is particulary eloquent in this case of valuable papers which must be checked within a short time, such as air tickets.

In a further embodiment of the invention, there are at least two areas having an orientation which differs from the main orientation and from the other or others. This can enhance the above effect still further. Thus there may be provided two or three areas of different orientation and arranged asymmetrically, or areas of different orientation in the form of letters forming,for example, the word VOID.

A particularly suitable printing base, which in addition is visually hardly different from those hitherto often used, is obtained when the uniform background is white and the design is printed with transparent ink in pastel colors.

Although, in principle, it is possibleforthe design to be largely composed of lines, which may or may not be straight, with different areas composed of points or dots, or the other way round, it is preferable, and hence a preferred embodiment of the invention, that the component parts of the design have the same configuration throughout.

In addition to lines and points or dots, the component parts of the design can be given many other possible forms, such as closed curves. It has been found, however, that in view of the visual impression to be made, a particularly suitable printing base is obtained where the component parts of the design all consist of straight lines, while copying gives a very conspicuous contrast where the lines in an area of different orientation make an angle of 90 with the lines of the main orientation.

In a test, a printing base for an air ticket of generally rectangular, elongated form was made. Taking a long side of the rectangle as the horizontal, the design formed on a uniform background can be described as follows. The major part of the design was formed by horizontal parallel lines, 0.090 mm thick,and spaced apart a distance of 0.290 mm to 0.310 mm. At an angle of 45" with the horizontal the word VOID was formed therein, the letters of which were formed by filling the surfaces defined by the minimum outline of each letter, i.e. for the letter V for example substantially a triangle, with vertical lines, also 0.090 thick, and spaced apart a distance of 0.290 to 0.310 mm.Furthermore there was a different area in the form of a band extending at an angle of 45 to the horizontal, and also composed of parallel lines 0.090 mm thick and spaced apart a distance of 0.290 to 0.310 mm. The lines were at an angle of 90" to the main direction of the band. The design is printed with a light-green, transparent ink on a white background. To the human eye, this printing base appeared to consist of a substantially uniform lightgreen background. More concentrated looking revealed that there was some kind of line pattern.

The perception of the areas with different line orientation was not possible, however, until after these had been pointed out.

Subsequently, this printing base was copied on a color copier. The resulting copy exhibited overly clear differences from the originally obtained impression of a uniform background. The areas of different orientation, i.e. the word VOID and the band were very clearly perceptible as being lighter in color than the remaining part of the base, and the line pattern too, that is to say the individual lines thereof, had become clearly perceptible. The explanation for this highly surprising effect must probably be sought in the light source of the copier, which scans the original in one direction.

Asimilartestwith a printing base having an identical pattern of lines as described above, but now printed in an orange, transparent ink, produced similar results.

1. A printing base, in particularforvaluable papers, such as shares, bonds and air tickets, which comprises a carrier printed with a finely-nuanced low -contrast design on a uniform background, the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Printing base, in particular for valuable papers This invention relates to a printing base, in particu lar for valuable papers such as shares, bonds and air tickets. For valuable documents, such as securities, a colored, or at least partly colored base, which may or may not be provided with a finely-nuanced design, if often selected for inhibiting and preventing falsification by means of copying and the like. Meanwhile, however, developments in the field of copying apparatus have advanced to the point where rather faithful copies can be made of colored originals too. Indeed, the fear is justified that, as such color copies are becoming more generally available, this possibility will be used for falsifying valuable papers by means of copying. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing base of such composition that it is instantly clear whether the valuable paper shown is the origi nal or a copy thereof. According to the present invention, there is provided a printing base, in particularforvaluable papers, such as shares, bonds and air tickets, which comprises a carrier printed with finely-nuanced low-contrast design on a uniform background, the component parts of which design, on the one hand, have substantially the same orientation and configuration, and on the other hand form at least one area having a different orientation, in which area the component parts have, in turn, however, the same configuration and orientation among themselves. A finely-nuanced low-contrast design as used herein means one in which the component parts are so fine and so closely spaced together that, in correlation with a low contrast between said component parts and said background, on the original, and to the human eye, it will blend with its uniform background so as to be no longer perceived as a separate design. The area of different orientation, too, will not be perceived as such, owing to this effect, but also form part of a base which to the naked eye is substantially uniform. If, however, such a printing base is copied, clearly visible contrasts will be formed between the area of the main orientation and an area of different orientation. Thus one glance will suffice to see whether a paper is an original or a copy.This advantage is particulary eloquent in this case of valuable papers which must be checked within a short time, such as air tickets. In a further embodiment of the invention, there are at least two areas having an orientation which differs from the main orientation and from the other or others. This can enhance the above effect still further. Thus there may be provided two or three areas of different orientation and arranged asymmetrically, or areas of different orientation in the form of letters forming,for example, the word VOID. A particularly suitable printing base, which in addition is visually hardly different from those hitherto often used, is obtained when the uniform background is white and the design is printed with transparent ink in pastel colors. Although, in principle, it is possibleforthe design to be largely composed of lines, which may or may not be straight, with different areas composed of points or dots, or the other way round, it is preferable, and hence a preferred embodiment of the invention, that the component parts of the design have the same configuration throughout. In addition to lines and points or dots, the component parts of the design can be given many other possible forms, such as closed curves. It has been found, however, that in view of the visual impression to be made, a particularly suitable printing base is obtained where the component parts of the design all consist of straight lines, while copying gives a very conspicuous contrast where the lines in an area of different orientation make an angle of 90 with the lines of the main orientation. In a test, a printing base for an air ticket of generally rectangular, elongated form was made. Taking a long side of the rectangle as the horizontal, the design formed on a uniform background can be described as follows. The major part of the design was formed by horizontal parallel lines, 0.090 mm thick,and spaced apart a distance of 0.290 mm to 0.310 mm. At an angle of 45" with the horizontal the word VOID was formed therein, the letters of which were formed by filling the surfaces defined by the minimum outline of each letter, i.e. for the letter V for example substantially a triangle, with vertical lines, also 0.090 thick, and spaced apart a distance of 0.290 to 0.310 mm.Furthermore there was a different area in the form of a band extending at an angle of 45 to the horizontal, and also composed of parallel lines 0.090 mm thick and spaced apart a distance of 0.290 to 0.310 mm. The lines were at an angle of 90" to the main direction of the band. The design is printed with a light-green, transparent ink on a white background. To the human eye, this printing base appeared to consist of a substantially uniform lightgreen background. More concentrated looking revealed that there was some kind of line pattern. The perception of the areas with different line orientation was not possible, however, until after these had been pointed out. Subsequently, this printing base was copied on a color copier. The resulting copy exhibited overly clear differences from the originally obtained impression of a uniform background. The areas of different orientation, i.e. the word VOID and the band were very clearly perceptible as being lighter in color than the remaining part of the base, and the line pattern too, that is to say the individual lines thereof, had become clearly perceptible. The explanation for this highly surprising effect must probably be sought in the light source of the copier, which scans the original in one direction. Asimilartestwith a printing base having an identical pattern of lines as described above, but now printed in an orange, transparent ink, produced similar results. CLAIMS

1. A printing base, in particularforvaluable papers, such as shares, bonds and air tickets, which comprises a carrier printed with a finely-nuanced low -contrast design on a uniform background, the component parts of which design, on the one hand, have substantially the same orientation and configuration, and on the other hand form at least one area having a different orientation, in which area the component parts have,in turn, however, the same orientation and configuration among themselves.

2. A printing base according to claim 1, which comprises at least two areas having an orientation which differs from the main orientation and from the other or others.

3. A printing base according to claim 1, comprising areas of different areas of orientation in the form of letters, which for example form the word VOID.

4. A printing base according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the uniform background is white and the design has been printed in transparent ink in pastel colors.

5. A printing base according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the component parts of the design have the same configuration throughout.

6. A printing base according to claim 5, wherein the component parts of the design all consist of straight lines.

7. A printing base according to claim 7, wherein the lines in an area of different orientation make an angle of 90 with the lines orientated in the main direction.

8. A printing base according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the straight lines have a maximum thickness in the order of 0.09 mm and the lines are spaced apart approximately 0.30 mm.