AVERY DENNISON PROVIDES SWEDISH POST WITH A NEW LAYER OF SECURITY WITH FASSON LABELSTOCK

Leiden, The Netherlands - Avery Dennison has provided Posten AB, Sweden’s national postal carrier, with an innovative Fasson self-adhesive solution to a major postage stamp authentication challenge. Posten AB is a dynamic, technologically advanced supplier of mail, communication and logistics services, and its security printing division, Sweden Post Stamps, has an international reputation for high-quality print results, with high-security features. As well as traditional gummed and perforated stamp products, Posten AB also issues self-adhesive stamps. To print these on Sweden Post Stamps' sophisticated intaglio machines would entail a costly extra press pass for the necessary overt security feature of a backing paper imprint. It made sense, therefore, to look for an alternative leading-edge authentication device for the self-adhesive stamps that would make it possible to continue printing them on a multicolour offset press, but with the added advantage of a special 'high tech' security feature to foil the efforts of the counterfeiters.

Self-adhesive stamps have been part of Sweden Post Stamps' normal stock-in-trade since 2000, and now represent around 50% of all stamps sold in Sweden, so the company was keen to plug this possible hole in its security, and protect both its brand and the company's profits.

Project development engineer Henrik Lundin, took the challenge to Avery Dennison, which has supplied Sweden Post Stamps with special Fasson self-adhesive stamp laminates since the first 'Signs in the sky' self-adhesive stamp issue from Posten AB. An authentication device needed to be provided that would be highly visible both to stamp resellers and to consumers -- without interfering with the existing security devices and design provided on the face of the stamps themselves.

A unique solution with Fasson self-adhesives

"In response to a proposed idea from Sweden Post Stamps, Avery Dennison local technical and sales people came up with a novel solution for a new security feature – a customer unique, specially 'watermarked' backing paper for the printed sheets of self-adhesive stamps that would not be visible through the stamp face paper, or interfere with the integrity of the stamp design, but would visibly authenticate the products when the panes of stamps were held up to the light or stamps were peeled from the backing. The watermark was to reproduce the Posten AB logo.

Lengthy trials and tests followed. To meet Sweden Post Stamps' criteria, Avery Dennison had to build the 'watermark' into the base layer of the backing paper prior to siliconisation and lamination to the face paper. As a result, the entire Fasson self-adhesive stamp laminate became a Sweden Post Stamps 'exclusive'.

A real step forward

Henrik Lundin was delighted with the final result. He comments: 'We have taken stamp security another step forward with this clever solution. No counterfeiter can successfully reproduce our watermark -- and if anyone tries to do so, they would immediately be breaking the law as it is our logo, and our intellectual property. Anyone caught even trying to recreate our special Fasson backing would automatically be guilty of "passing off", which is a serious, criminal offence. '

Protecting the brand

Mr Lundin continues: 'At Posten AB, we deal with around 20 million postal items a day, so the volumes of postage stamps used are high. This Fasson solution will help us to ensure that our 4000 sales outlets can provide Sweden's 4.5 million homes and 900,000 business customers with self-adhesive postage stamps that are guaranteed to be authentic -- not fakes that will line the pockets of the counterfeiters. As a stand-alone business with the requirement to deliver good profitability to our shareholders, it's certainly in our best interests to protect our brand in this innovative manner.'

Full details of Fasson self-adhesive postage stamp laminates are available from Avery Dennison Roll Materials Europe sales representatives, or visit the website at www.europe.fasson.com.