Time was when high-quality paper and ink were enough to prove that an official document such
as an insurance policy, birth certificate or coupon really was official. Not anymore.
Nowadays, digital printers, scanners and image-editing software make it easy for just about
anyone to alter or reproduce a basic document right at home, and they make it harder to
tell the legitimate documents from the fakes.
But a new technology could change that. Three scientists at the company's research
laboratories in Webster, N.Y., have discovered a way to use an ordinary xerographic
printer to insert hologram-like images in common documents. Xerox researchers believe
that their new patent-pending Glossmark™ technology could be used to help people identify
authentic documents. It could also have novel printing applications - in greeting cards or
advertising specialties or for special artistic effects.
Information embedded in a Glossmark print - for example, a seal or a date and time - catches
the light when it is tilted and can be seen as an additional and separate image. But the
embedded information cannot be reproduced on a conventional copier or scanner. Glossmark
technology has two advantages over holograms and other laminates that are used to create
similar effects: the Glossmark process does not require any additional printing steps or
incremental costs, and it accommodates variable information, like a name, a time-stamp or
a code.
It was serendipity - and proximity -- that led to the discovery. Uneven glossy patches,
called "differential gloss," are typically considered a defect on a print. Chu-heng Liu,
who works at Xerox's Xerox Research Center Webster, was struggling with the
problem of overcoming differential gloss. He discussed it with his wife, Beilei Xu, and
her co-worker, Shen-ge Wang. They both worked in an adjacent laboratory, which studies
ways to improve the quality of digital printing systems.
Suddenly the trio realized the problem could be an opportunity. Could they make differential
gloss appear on purpose -- and embed images in documents? Experimenting with the concept,
they developed software and a special combination of halftones, toner, paper and fusing
that would distribute different levels of gloss on the page. The result looked almost like
a hologram, but could be produced on an office or high-end production printer.
"Improved printing technologies have made it much easier to counterfeit documents,"
said Shen-ge Wang, a principal scientist in the Xerox laboratories. "Glossmark prints
offer a promising deterrent. Because the differential gloss cannot be reproduced in a
second-generation copy, it is a secure technology. It could be used to put authenticating
marks on high-value items, like tickets, and on ID cards and other valuable documents.
But it can also produce printed materials that are amusing and fun."
Xerox scientists are developing the Glossmark technology to work on a range of printing
devices and with a variety of media, as well as creating associated applications to design
and print Glossmark images. Xerox is commercializing this technology for use in its
products and working with business partners to develop specific market applications.
Glossmark printing technology is available for licensing.
Document and information security is an active area of research at Xerox. Long an expert
in anti-counterfeiting and related techniques, the company continues to investigate an
array of "hidden imagery" technology to enable today's documents to communicate in more
sophisticated ways or offer new levels of security.
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