SICPA OVI
Definition
Optically variable ink technology commercialised by SICPA Security Inks and Coatings SA, Lausanne. Each flake is a vacuum-deposited Al / dielectric (MgF2 or SiO2) / Al sandwich whose dielectric layer thickness determines the base colour and shift colour.
- Manufacturer
- SICPA Security Inks and Coatings SA, Lausanne
- Flake structure
- Al / dielectric (MgF2 or SiO2) / Al sandwich
- Colour mechanism
- Dielectric layer thickness sets base colour and shift colour
- Use
- Optically variable security ink printed on banknotes
Common questions
Why is the colour-shift effect hard for a counterfeiter to reproduce?+
The shift comes from a precisely controlled vacuum-deposited multilayer flake structure, not from a pigment, and depends on the dielectric layer's exact thickness at nanometre scale. Reproducing that requires access to specialised deposition equipment and process control that is not available outside authorised security-printing supply chains.
How does an examiner distinguish genuine OVI from a printed or laminated colour-shift imitation?+
Genuine OVI shows a continuous, smooth colour transition across the full viewing angle range and the effect is embedded in the ink itself, while imitations often show a more abrupt or limited shift, visible layering or lamination edges under magnification, or a shift confined to a narrower angle range than the genuine feature.
Related terms
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- Fluorescent Security Ink
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- Goniospectrophotometry
- A spectrophotometric technique that measures reflectance spectra at multiple illumination and viewing angle combinations simultaneously, enabling quantitative characterisation of OVI colour-shift profiles...
- Intaglio Printing
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- Optically Variable Ink (OVI)
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- Security Thread
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