Security Inks: A Key to Success in Security Printing

Description

Pankaj Kumar (Department of Printing Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hissar, Haryana)

Security inks represent the cornerstone of modern anti-counterfeiting technology, playing an indispensable role in protecting valuable documents, currency, and branded products from counterfeiting and fraud. As the global security printing market reached USD 31.2 billion in 2020, with projections to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 5% through 2033. Security inks have emerged as the most critical component in maintaining document integrity and authentication. The sophisticated nature of these inks, combined with their unique properties and verification methods, makes them nearly impossible to replicate without specialized knowledge and equipment, thus serving as the primary defense against counterfeiting activities that cost the global economy an estimated USD 2 trillion annually. The banking and currency sector remains the largest consumer of security inks, accounting for nearly 40% of total market demand in 2020. Central banks worldwide have increasingly adopted sophisticated security features to combat currency counterfeiting, which reached over USD 80 million annually in the United States alone. Passports and identity cards represented the second-largest application segment for security inks in 2020, valued at USD 7.55 billion. The integration of biometric technologies with traditional security printing has created new opportunities for advanced authentication systems. Apart from all this recent regulatory developments, including track-and-trace requirements and serialization mandates, have accelerated adoption of security printing technologies in pharmaceutical packaging also.