Watermark Stationery & Security Printing

Security is never something to be taken lightly. So when it comes to securing your stationery, you may question the need at first, but it is as equally important to have a system in place that can stop fraudulent activity with your paperwork as it is to have a sound cybersecurity network protecting you online.

Counterfeit currency. Illegitimate contracts. Fraudulent letters of authority. There is a long history of crime in this area which is why such tight measures are put in place to stop this from happening.

Take banknotes for example, where security printing measures are fundamental to their design. It’s fascinating to take a £10 note from your pocket and attempt to identify all the security printed aspects. We instantly feel the defining polymer material and our eyes are drawn to the holographic foil blocking showing the coronation crown and the denomination written below by ‘reversing out’ the text (meaning this is not printed but a clear section of the material – a very tricky detail considering the size of the note). We can feel the ‘tactile feature’ of the blind embossed braille section in the top left corner (when looking at the front of the note, which is the side with the raised print). Winchester Cathedral is showing with gold foil to one side and silver foil to the reverse, tip the note and they both have a rainbow effect to the colours. Showing on the transparent section is also a watermark of the Queen printed alongside a quill, which changes colour from orange to purple as the note is tilted. Among other security printing aspects, you also have an ultra-violet section that will only be visible when under UV lighting, detailed raised print and extreme micro lettering that is only visible under a glass.

Of course, a banknote is taking security printing to the extreme degree, but often by using one or some of these features on your stationery they can be beneficial to making sure a document is an original or cannot be accurately copied.

Production techniques such as embossing, engraving or die-stamping and foil blocking are all available to utilise on your luxury stationery and corporate invitations. Over the years we have also developed our own technique for adding a chemical-based watermark that allows for the design to be seen through the paper, achieving a very similar result to that of a ‘true’ watermark.   

This watermarking process has seen a sharp increase in use over the past decade and we can see a steady rate of usage extending to financial documents, auction and jewellery valuations along with certificates of authenticity – we believe this growth goes hand in hand with the rise of online selling, therefore the need for a physical item to guarantee the item’s history in preparation for the sale. When requesting a traditional watermark, a paper mill will often have a 2-tonne minimum production run which is very limiting to requirements, our minimum is a more realistic 1000 A4 sheets making this an excellent option for adding a security feature to your stationery.

There are also finishing techniques available which can add to the security measures you can put in place for your stationery. Numbering of course is one, but also adding a hand treated coloured or deckle edge in a specific pantone shade, use of a wax seal of authority or even perhaps a very small laser-cut logo or emblem in detail can provide the additional touch that cannot be scanned or developed digitally.

In today’s climate of extremely high-quality reproduction and activity, these security printing and watermark paper printing processes are becoming a much-valued and appreciated benefit for our clients.

To discuss more about specialist watermark paper and security services, please contact the Downey team.  We also offer other luxury printing services, like professional coat of arms design, bespoke luxury packaging and much more.