In a world where document fraud and personal identity threats increase, the security of physical identity documents remains a cornerstone of global trust and verification, playing a key role alongside the rapidly evolving digital identity solutions. Despite the rise of electronic credentials, physical documents continue to play a vital role in international travel and identity verification. As such, the need for advanced and resilient security features to protect these documents and the genuine holder’s data from forgery and counterfeiting, is more pressing than ever.
A recent innovation for passports comes from IAI industrial systems B.V., which has introduced a new personalization security feature called PaperProtect™. This development marks a significant step forward in the protection of paper identity documents, offering a novel approach that combines physical durability with unique optical properties that make it easy to authenticate. IAI industrial systems is a manufacturer of personalisation solutions for identity documents and continuously develops security features and technologies to protect identities globally.
A new layer of defense
PaperProtect™ is a secure inkjet feature that embeds personalized data directly into the paper substrate and on top of the document. As a result, traditional inkjet personalisation on the surface becomes significantly more secure as a forger must compromise not just the surface but also a second intentionally embedded inner layer. Visible from both sides and rich in optical properties, the inner layer enables reliable cross-verification with the data printed on the surface. This design approach, separating and repeating data across the paper layers, can strengthen for example the protection of both the data and the portrait.
What makes PaperProtect™ unique and easy to authenticate are its variable optical properties arising from the inner layer. The feature is visible both from the front and the back side of the paper page. Under white reflective light, the information inside the paper appears dark, but when being held under transmission light it becomes lighter; changing its appearance as one tilts the page. A third optical property can be unlocked when using UV-fluorescent inks, which is highly recommended by IAI industrial systems. These optical properties are intuitive to the existing capabilities of front line inspectors.
Seamless integration, robust protection
One of the key advantages of PaperProtect™ is its compatibility with existing document production workflows. Because of its flexibility in design, it can be applied to a wide range of document layouts and passport designs. The technology is currently available in three design options, shown below.
PaperProtect™ can be applied on IAI Industrial Systems’ BookMasterPro and BookMasterOne. These different design options, each provide a different approach towards protection against forgery and can be tailored to specific project requirements. Moreover, the feature is designed to withstand the rigors of daily use. It is resistant to wear, chemical exposure, and mechanical stress—ensuring that the security remains intact throughout the document’s lifespan.
Responding to evolving threats
The introduction of PaperProtect™ comes at a time when the forgery and market trends need it most to secure data on paper. New passport models being released are utilizing the observation page more than ever before to add secondary portraits and to repeat data. However, the development of security features for paper has been lacking in recent years, resulting in forgers utilizing advanced removal and printing techniques to change the data printed at the surface of the observation page. In response to these trends, security features must not only be complex, unique and durable, but also easy to verify in real-world conditions. PaperProtect™ responds to these challenges by offering a visually striking feature, that is verifiable in UV light and is nearly impossible to forge. Its integration into the document substrate means that any attempt to remove or alter the feature would irreparably damage the document, providing clear evidence of tampering.
Looking ahead
As the identity document landscape continues to evolve, innovations like PaperProtect™ highlight the importance of continuous advancement in physical document security. While digital solutions are gaining ground, physical documents remain a critical component to preserve one’s true identity.
By introducing a feature that is both technologically advanced and operationally practical, PaperProtect™ represents a meaningful contribution to the ongoing effort to secure identity documents against fraud. For governments, document issuers, and security professionals, it offers a new tool in the fight to protect the integrity of identities worldwide. More information can be found at https://www.iai.nl/paperprotect/
Sources/References:
IAI
IAI industrial systems B.V. is a Dutch company based in the Netherlands and is a trusted manufacturing partner for centralized and decentralized (automated) solutions that personalize identity documents, such as passports, driver’s licenses, ID cards, and residence permits. IAI continuously develops technologies that enhance the security of identity documents. IAI has over 30 years of experience, with more than 70 million documents produced in over 50 countries.
