See-Through Register
Definition
The precise front-to-back alignment of partial printed elements so that they combine into a complete image when the note is held to a light source; tolerance under 0.3 mm achievable only by security printers.
- Mechanism
- Front-to-back alignment of partial printed elements
- Tolerance
- Under 0.3 mm
- Viewing method
- Held to a light source
- Applies to
- Banknotes
Common questions
Why is see-through register hard for counterfeiters to replicate?+
It requires printing on both sides of the substrate with sub-millimetre alignment, a precision level that mainstream commercial printing equipment cannot reliably hit, unlike features that can be simulated on one side alone.
How does see-through register differ from a watermark?+
A watermark is formed in the paper itself by varying its thickness during manufacture, while see-through register relies on two separately printed partial images on opposite faces lining up when backlit.
Related terms
- BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene)
- The polymer film substrate for polymer-substrate banknotes (Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada). Distinguished from cotton-linen paper notes by FTIR-ATR (CH3 methyl peaks...
- 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...
- Multi-Tone Watermark
- A watermark produced by graded modulation of substrate thickness during papermaking, creating a range of light-to-dark tones visible in transmitted light; more...
- 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...
- 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)...