Heidelberg hosted its first Security Day, where 120 attendees were shown identification document printing (ID Printing) and examples from the plastic card industry using the Speedmaster XL 75 press.
Visitors were presented with the latest technologies and solutions for their individual needs and used the opportunity to speak to and get advice from the Heidelberg experts as the company makes its first major move into security printing.
The live demonstrations happened on two differently equipped Speedmaster XL 75 presses – one Anicolor press printing simulated bank cards, and a second machine with a range of application modules for ID printing – generated interesting impressions.
Guests included a number of representatives from well-known security printing companies and state printing offices as well as government organisations and their supplier industries.
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Joachim Hüber, product manager security printing at Heidelberg says, “The demand for tamper-proof documents like passports, driver licenses, official badges, and tax stamps is growing worldwide. The precision and versatility of the Speedmaster XL 75 and its ability to handle the complex production methods and strict specifications of customers make it the press of choice for most providers. When producing cards like these, every cent, an attractive appearance for marketing purposes, and, to a lesser extent, the security aspects count.”
The more sophisticated printing image virtually rules out defects like smudging and scumming during the run. Rainbow printing produces multi-coloured effect sequences through the simultaneous application of two or more inks in the printing unit’s ink fountain. To provide protection against copying, the inks are merged in a controlled process across the entire run for sheets that are absolutely identical.
A thermal inkjet system is used for the following applications among others: for serialization and personalization, for tracking products, or for quality assurance using an inline inspection system in order to eject defective sheets using a number. All of these special applications make the Speedmaster XL 75 ideal for high-security printing, but also make it interesting for providers of more unusual printed products.
While cash use is falling worldwide, plastic card use is on the up. The industry analysts from the Nilson Report expect that the number of prepaid, debit, and credit cards alone will increase to 22 billion by 2020.
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