Common security printing solutions often rely on visible features such as fine-line artwork, colour-shift effects and UV elements. These do remain valuable, but they can often be easily faked and also depend on the observer, the lighting and the time required to authenticate them.
Counterfeiters are also increasingly targeting the printed components that make products look legitimate. In the EU border and market enforcement results for 2023, authorities detained 152 million counterfeit articles (estimated value €3.4 billion). Notably, one of the most detained categories was labels/tags/stickers, alongside high volumes of packaging materials.
Our Q-ID® adds an atomic-level quantum fingerprint that is unique to every print. Scannable with a standard smartphone, our solution supports fast authentication whether printed on a document, packaging or product labels.
A Q-ID® tag can be applied to a document, label or packaging to suit your manufacturing and printing process. This could sit on a label, form part of a seal or be embedded within the printed construction. Each Q-ID® tag includes an atomic-level unique fingerprint that cannot be practically copied, cloned or faked.
When a user scans the item with a standard smartphone, the unique Q-ID® signature is captured and matched against the registered record. This enables authentication at key points across the supply chain: