Multi-Tone Watermark
Definition
A watermark produced by graded modulation of substrate thickness during papermaking, creating a range of light-to-dark tones visible in transmitted light; more secure than single-shade watermarks because tonal gradation cannot be simulated by printing.
- Production method
- Graded substrate thickness modulation during papermaking
- Appearance
- Range of light-to-dark tones
- Viewing condition
- Transmitted light
- Security advantage
- Cannot be simulated by printing
- Typical use
- Banknote and secure-document substrate
Common questions
Why can't a counterfeiter fake a multi-tone watermark by printing it?+
A printed image sits as ink on top of the paper and looks the same in reflected and transmitted light, whereas a genuine watermark is built into the thickness of the paper itself, so it only reveals its tonal gradation when the note is held up to a light source.
How does a multi-tone watermark differ from a simple single-shade watermark?+
A single-shade watermark shows one uniform level of thinning, while a multi-tone watermark varies the thinning across the design to produce several distinct tone levels, which is significantly harder to replicate and therefore rarer in counterfeit notes.
Related terms
- BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene)
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- Cotton-Linen Substrate
- The traditional banknote paper substrate made from cotton fibre (and sometimes linen), containing no lignin, non-fluorescent under UV, textured under magnification; used...
- Intaglio Printing
- A high-pressure printing process in which ink is forced into engraved recesses in a steel plate and transferred to paper, producing a...
- KINEGRAM
- A diffractive optically variable image device (DOVID) in holographic foil used on passport biographical pages and visa stickers; produced by OVD Kinegram...
- Latent Image
- A feature visible only at oblique viewing angle, produced by differential intaglio surface profile; on the US $100, tilting reveals 'USA' within...
- Microprinting / Microtext
- Text printed at 0.2-0.5 mm letter height, legible under a 10x loupe on genuine notes but smeared into an indistinct grey line...
- Optically Variable Ink (OVI)
- An ink containing thin-film interference flakes (metal + dielectric layers, manufactured by SICPA and others) that produce a visible colour shift with...
- See-Through Register
- The precise front-to-back alignment of partial printed elements so that they combine into a complete image when the note is held to...
- Windowed Security Thread
- A polymer strip embedded in the substrate that alternates between being below the surface (visible as a dark stripe in transmitted light)...