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Kodak Introduces Virtually Invisible Ink for the NEXPRESS
InData Systems support of High Speed Covert Marking system by Eastman Kodak |
| ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 13, 2010 – Adding to the diverse capabilities of the
KODAK NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions with Print Genius, Kodak is
introducing a new virtually invisible clear ink. KODAK NEXPRESS Red Fluorescing
Dry Ink is clear to the naked eye, but becomes red fluorescing when illuminated
with an appropriate ultraviolet (UV) light source. The ink can be used to print
unobtrusive images and non-reproducible bar codes on various printed materials,
which then can be read with specialized bar code readers. The NEXPRESS Red
Fluorescing Dry Ink enables a wide range of security and inventory management
applications, including certified documents, such as medical prescription pads,
drivers’ licenses and event tickets.
“This innovative expansion of the NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit
Solutions allows digital print service providers to enter the lucrative and
growing secure documents and ‘track and trace’ markets,” said
Steve Fletcher, General Manager, Electrophotographic Printing Solutions, Vice
President, Kodak. “The amazing versatility of
the family of KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses is designed to
help print service providers stay on the forefront of a demanding, quickly
changing marketplace.”
This new ink allows clear bar codes to be printed inline and can encompass
variable data printing, allowing each printed piece to be marked with unique
information. The NEXPRESS Red Fluorescing Dry Ink can be easily exchanged with
other Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions, allowing print service providers to
efficiently move between various types of printing projects. The new ink
creates opportunities for current NEXPRESS Press customers to offer new
services to their existing customer bases and enter new markets. It will allow
commercial printers to expand their digital print operations into secure
documents and other businesses, and will provide book printers with new ways to
take advantage of inventory management and automation improvements. Commercial
printers can also use the clear bar code for their internal workflow for downstream
finishing and binding operations.
The NEXPRESS Red Fluorescing Dry Ink is the latest addition to the NEXPRESS
Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions, which also allows dimensional printing that
creates a raised-print, 3D effect; coating applications, which can be used to
increase durability or add watermarks; clear protection and gloss coating using
the nearline KODAK NEXPRESS Glossing Unit; color gamut expansion with red,
green, and blue dry inks; and MICR applications for secure, machine-readable
documents.
Kodak worked with bar code reader pioneer InData Systems to develop a red
fluorescing dry ink application that would be widely adaptable in the field,
allowing it to be printed on a variety of backgrounds. InData Systems of
Skaneateles, N.Y. is a world leader in bar code reading products designed for
the bar code security industry, which uses covert or hidden bar codes for
product authentication, tracking, and information retrieval.
“This new ink from Kodak opens up a number of new markets for digital
printing,” said John Hattersley, President of InData Systems.
“It’s a huge breakthrough, because now one printing application can
include both a pass/fail authentication system and include a significant amount
of unique, identifying information.”
The red fluorescing bar code itself is the pass/fail authentication. It is
difficult to counterfeit and if the bar code does not light up for the UV
reader, the document is not genuine. The NEXPRESS Press with Print Genius has
an advantage over conventional inks for this application. Offset inks, liquid
toner, and inkjet inks tend to spread when printed. The NEXPRESS Press can
create very sharp lines in the 2D bar codes enabling higher read accuracy with
smaller bar code sizes. This makes the bar codes less intrusive. This feature
can be used in a wide range of secure document applications, including
identification documents, event tickets and coupons. The bar code itself can
encode additional information that might verify the information on a secure
document, such as a lottery ticket, pharmaceutical prescription pad or school
transcript. Clear security images can be used instead of barcodes for
lower-level security applications or verification of documents with UV
illumination only without the need for a bar code reader. For applications such
as passports, credit cards or drivers’ licenses, the bar code can encode
the identity information about the bearer (such as birth date) making it more
difficult to counterfeit or alter sensitive documents. Additionally, the bar codes
can aid in inventory management, indicating specific handling for versioned
textbooks, catalogs or other products.
The fact that the ink is clear with normal lighting has both security and
aesthetic benefits. On many backgrounds the ink will appear nearly invisible
without the UV light, enhancing its effectiveness as a security tool and
allowing the bar code to be placed in locations where a standard black-ink bar
code would not be acceptable.
Like all NEXPRESS Fifth Imaging Unit Solutions, the red fluorescing dry ink
creates prints that are recyclable. The dry ink also contains no volatile
organic compounds (VOCs).
Kodak will show off sample applications using the red fluorescing dry ink at
Ipex 2010, stand 9-E320. Attendees will be able to see a golf admission ticket
and a membership id card with an authentication images and a science textbook
cover with the bar code information optimized for work flow automation and
inventory management. The new NEXPRESS Red Fluorescing Dry Ink will be
available commercially in June of this year.
Also at Ipex, Kodak is unveiling the new Print Genius website showcasing the
innovation of the KODAK NEXPRESS SE Digital Production Color Presses and the
technology under the covers that enable photographic quality, high productivity,
and lowered cost of ownership. In addition to the suite of customer solutions
delivered through quality control tools and options for managing and
maintaining peak quality throughout a production run, Print Genius also
supports the value-added applications and solutions of the Fifth Imaging Unit
Solutions, including the use of the new red fluorescing dry ink. After May 18,
visit the new Print Genius website at: www.kodak.com/go/PrintGenius.
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InData Systems to present "Invisible Bar Codes"
John Hattersley to Present on Covert Bar Codes at IMI's 6th Annual Security Printing Conference |
Skaneateles, New York
– October 1, 2009 – InData Systems announces that their president, John
Hattersley, will give a presentation on how covert bar codes are handling
on-the-spot brand protection and document authentication at IMI’s
6th Annual Security Printing Conference. The conference, being held
at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, runs
from November 16-18, 2009 and is sponsored by Information Management Institute
(IMI). Complete conference details can be found at www.imiconf.com
"We are pleased
to have InData Systems as a presenter at this year’s conference’ stated Al Keene,
President of
IMI, ‘as they are on the front lines where the use of invisible bar codes is
being utilized to track products, gather distribution data and provide
in-the-field authentication of products and documents.”
InData
Systems’ President, John R. Hattersley, will be addressing the following major
topics:
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Why Covert Barcodes?
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In-the-field Track, Trace &
Authentication
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Types of Data in Invisible Marks
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Multilayer Protection Combines Covert
Mark + Encoded Serialization
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3 Legged Stool of Covert Security Solutions
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Reliable Ink & Marking Methods
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User Friendly In-field Scanners
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Data System Integration/Tracking
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Reliable Methods Now Widely Available
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Digital & Ink Jet Printing, Thermal
Transfer
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Different Ink-specific Technologies
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Affordable, Durable Field Scanners
For further information, please contact: sales@indatasys.com
About InData Systems
InData Systems is the world leader in covert bar code
reading, with over 20 years as an expert in reading Direct Part Mark bar codes
of all kinds. The bar code security industry is rapidly growing to provide
solutions for product authentication, product tracking, traceability and more.
Covert, or marks that are invisible to the eye, provide immeasurable
opportunities to ensure security protection for countless needs. With patents
for our covert light delivery systems, InData Systems is an expert when it
comes to dealing with your covert bar code reading needs.
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InData Systems receives additional US Patents
US Patents 7,357,326 and 7,370,801 granted |
May 13, 2008.
InData Systems has been awarded two more patents extending their unique position in the brand authentication and covert mark (track and trace) solution marketplace.
President of InData Systems and co-inventor, John Hattersley, indicates that InData Systems continued effort to develop unique solutions for major solution providers for the pharmaceutical and high profile brand owners demonstrates the growth in new ways that people can be assured of getting the high quality products that they think they are purchasing, and not some lower quality counterfeit or diverted product.
InData Systems already had several patents issued covering unique illumination systems for etched mark reading, currently used by the military and other high reliability entities, as well as their original UV fluorescing code patent #6,824,061.
InData Systems has additional patents pending around the world to strengthen their position as the leader in this unique area. |
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InData turns attention to non-traditional barcodes
by Kevin Tampone, Central New York Business Journal Staff |
02/09/07:
InData Systems
27 Fennell St.
Skaneateles, N.Y. 13152
Phone: (315) 685-8311
Fax: (315) 685-8312
Web site: www.indatasys.com
Square footage: 5,400
Employees: 4 full time, 5 part time
Year founded: 1986
Annual revenue: More than $1 million
• Key players: John Hattersley, founder and president
• What does your company do? InData is a developer and manufacturer of optical attachments that allow bar-code scanners to read specialized codes. Those codes include marks etched directly onto metal using lasers and even covert bar codes applied to items with invisible ink that can only be read with ultraviolet or other unique lighting.
• What is the technological application? Companies use specialized bar codes for a variety of reasons. Consumer-electronics companies use etched codes so they can track items like cell phones even if their outer casings are destroyed. Government groups like the military and defense contractors use them to keep track of hand tools. Covert codes are used for verification of brand-name products and help prevent fraud and black-market trading, says John Hattersley. All of those marks are useless, of course, unless they can be read, which is where InData comes in.
• How do your products work? All of InData’s products attach directly to bar-code scanners manufactured by Skaneateles Falls–based Hand Held Products. Although the design could be converted to attach to scanners from other manufacturers, Hattersley has decided to stick with Hand Held’s so far. Hand Held is a leader in bar-code scanners throughout the world. It employs 980 and has revenue of more than $250 million. InData’s products generally work by applying light to bar codes in non-traditional ways or using non-traditional sources of light. Once the bar code is properly illuminated, it appears black and white to a scanner’s eye and is easily read, Hattersley explains. The company holds four patents with an additional U.S. patent and an international patent pending. InData is also a distributor of Hand Held scanners, which allows the company to be a solid source for its customers’ bar-code reading needs.
• What kind of growth are you experiencing? Hattersley believes the company is entering a period with excellent expansion prospects. “We think we’ve done groundwork in the past couple of years for some good growth,” he says. “Our etched-marks business has really blossomed.” The firm employs four people full time and five part time in its 5,400-square-foot headquarters. Although it outsources some of its manufacturing to local companies, all the final assembly and quality control is done on site, Hattersley says. The firm generates more than $1 million in annual sales.
• What will drive your growth? The U.S. government has mandated all items it buys for the military have a mark that can be tracked. The airline industry is also moving in a similar direction and is planning to create traceable marks on every airline part, Hattersley says. Industry leaders want to be able to follow parts back to their sources to determine what happened in the case of failures. Etched bar codes will play a major role in both the military and airline industry, Hattersley says. Covert marks should also be a strong source of growth for InData. Some consumer-products companies are already printing the marks on their products, even though many of them have no way to read them yet, Hattersley says. Those companies, however, are concerned about fraud and counterfeiting and so are extremely interested in the security marks, he adds. He says companies worldwide lose billions each year to fraud. InData has partnered with companies that produce the security ink, such as Hewlett-Packard (HP), in marketing efforts on products. “We’re extremely optimistic,” Hattersley says. “[Companies like HP] are highly excited about our scanners that are able to read marks that use a lot of ink. Therefore, they sell more ink. They’re … motivated to move this new … product.”
• What is your company’s background? Hattersley, InData’s sole owner, founded the firm 21 years ago. Originally the company was a distributor of bar-code reading products. It branched into product development after customers began asking for scanners that could read unique codes. Hattersley has a degree in electrical engineering from Ohio University. He began his career in engineering systems and design and later became a sales engineer. Before founding InData, he worked more than three years for the Welch Allyn division that later spun off to become Hand Held Products.
Contact Kevin Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com
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Skaneateles company sees profit in invisibility
Business makes scanners to read codes counterfeiters can't easily duplicate. |
Syracuse Post-Standard Newspaper
Saturday, December 16, 2006
By Charley Hannagan
Staff writer
InData Systems operates in an invisible world.
The Skaneateles company makes devices that can read bar codes printed in invisible ink.
"Even the counterfeiters can't find the bar code to counterfeit it," said John R. Hattersley, the company's owner.
He came to the bar-code industry after working with the company that later became Hand Held Products Inc. The company based in Skaneateles Falls and affiliated with Welch Allyn makes bar-code readers and data imaging products.
Hattersley left that company 21 years ago to found InData Systems. He ran the company out of his basement for 10 years before moving to a former dance studio located underneath the small shopping center at 27 Fennell St., Skaneateles.
The company has four full-time and five part-time workers and earns about $1 million a year in sales, Hattersley said.
InData helps companies solve bar-code reading problems. One of the problems it figured out was a way to illuminate bar codes printed with invisible inks or etched into metal.
The company buys bar-code readers from Hand Held Products, modifies them with special optical readers that use ultraviolet light and sells them to customers.
One customer is a large salon product maker that uses the bar-code readers to see the invisible code printed on its bottles, Hattersley said. The company wanted better control over its inventory and distribution, and the invisible bar code is difficult for counterfeiters to copy, he said.
Some states are looking at placing an invisible code in their cigarette tax stamps to catch tax cheats, Hattersley said. The devices could be used there, too, he said.
The devices also can be used by tool and airplane part makers. They print bar codes on shiny metal, which is difficult to capture with an unmodified image reader, he said.
Companies that make drugs, cosmetics, auto parts or health-care products would find the devices useful in reading invisible inks, Hattersley said.
Sales at the privately held company grew 34 percent last year, and Hattersley said he expects them to grow even more in 2006.
"We believe we're at the right place and the right time," he said.
If the sales pace continues, Hattersley said, he will need to hire staff and move into a bigger building.
© 2006 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.
Copyright 2006 syracuse.com. All Rights Reserved. |
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Health and Beauty Care UV bar code solutions
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InData Systems has been selected by one of the worlds leading Salon Care Products manufacturers to provide scanning solutions for their newest enhancements to their product distribution tracking.
Utilizing a marking method that puts an invisible bar code mark on the top of the caps on their products, this manufacturer is encouraging their distributors to report back to them all of the data encoded in this marking when product goes through their warehouses.
Click here for more information about the UV scanning products we have available. |
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